"Colombian fighters Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37 were each sentenced to 13 years in prison for serving with Ukrainian forces. A court run by Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine's occupied Donetsk region has sentenced two Colombian nationals to 13 years in prison each for fighting on behalf of Kyiv. The ruling, announced on Thursday, is the latest in a series of lengthy sentences handed to foreign fighters accused by Moscow-backed prosecutors of being mercenaries."
"According to reports, the pair fought for Ukraine in 2023 and 2024 before disappearing in July while transiting through Venezuela, a close ally of Russia, on their way home to Colombia after serving in the war. Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported in July 2024 that the men were detained in the Venezuelan capital Caracas while still wearing Ukrainian military uniforms."
"Footage released by Russia's FSB security service showed the men handcuffed and dressed in prison uniforms as masked officers escorted them through a court building. News of the pair's sentencing on Thursday was widely covered in Colombian media. I don't know if we will see them again one day. That's the sad reality, said Medina's wife, Cielo Paz, in an interview with the AFP news agency, adding that she had not heard from her husband since his arrest."
Two Colombian nationals, Alexander Ante (48) and Jose Aron Medina Aranda (37), were each sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court run by Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraine's occupied Donetsk region for fighting on behalf of Kyiv. The men fought for Ukraine in 2023 and 2024 and disappeared in July while transiting through Venezuela on their way home to Colombia. Colombian media reported they were detained in Caracas still wearing Ukrainian uniforms. Russian authorities later said they had taken custody of the two. Footage released by Russia's FSB showed them handcuffed and in prison uniforms as masked officers escorted them. Medina's wife said she had not heard from her husband since his arrest.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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