Russian court sentences New Zealander fighting for Ukraine to 14 years in prison in absentia
This was reported by the unified press service of the regional judicial system, according to the Ukrinform.
O'Brien was charged in Russia with the article “participation of a mercenary in an armed conflict” and put on the international wanted list.
According to the Russian investigation, in 2022, O'Brien joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine “as a mercenary” and participated in hostilities “for material reward.” In August 2024, according to the prosecution, the New Zealander entered the territory of the Kursk region as part of the Armed Forces. The Russian court also ruled to confiscate and take into the ownership of the Russian Federation the funds “received by O'Brien as a result of the crime in the amount of more than 1.3 million rubles”.
The sentence may take effect in the event of extradition or deportation to Russia - from the moment he crosses the state border or from the moment of actual detention in Russia.
In September, the New Zealand edition of The Spinoff told about O'Brien, a 31-year-old soldier who arrived in Ukraine in 2022. He saw reports from the war and wanted to help. Now he serves in the 131st separate reconnaissance battalion and works with drones.
As noted, he is one of an unknown number of New Zealanders fighting in Ukraine. According to one estimate, in 2023, the number of New Zealanders in the Armed Forces was approximately 15-25 people. The New Zealanders fighting in Ukraine are not mercenaries, the publication emphasizes. “They are not there for the money: their earnings are on par with Ukrainian soldiers, ranging from about NZ$800 per month behind the front line to NZ$7800 per month for combat missions,” the report says.
In March 2024, it was reported that Russia had put about 700 foreign nationals fighting on the side of Ukraine on the wanted list. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stated that a number of citizens of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, and Romania were charged in absentia under the article on mercenarism.
As Ukrinform reported, in the temporarily occupied Donetsk, the “Supreme Court” sentenced the commander of the Georgian Legion, which is fighting in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mamuka Mamulashvili to 23 years in prison in absentia.
