Russian Court Cuts Prison Term Of Ukrainian Jailed For Spying

The Russian Supreme Court has cut the prison term of a Ukrainian man who had been sentenced in Russian-occupied Crimea on espionage charges.

The court ruled on October 15 that Kostyantyn Davydenko's 10-year term must be shortened by three years.

Meanwhile, his lawyer Dmitry Dinze said his client’s name had been added to the list of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

It is unclear when the exchange would take place.

Davydenko was detained in Ukraine's Crimea region in February 2018 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June this year.

After his arrest, Russian authorities said he was suspected of illegally collecting classified information related to Russia's Federal Security Service and the National Guard, and planned to give the information to Ukrainian authorities.

Rights activists say Russia has jailed several Ukrainians on trumped-up, politically motivated charges since Moscow seized control of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.

On September 7, Russia and Ukraine exchanged a total of 70 prisoners in a move praised by the West as an opportunity to improve tense relations between Kyiv and Moscow.

The exchange was the first major prisoner swap between the two countries since 2017.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS