Russia Russian court sentences air defense officer
A Russian court has sentenced an air defense officer to two years and ten months in prison following the shooting down of a military helicopter belonging to the Russian armed forces.
15.01.2025, 22:51
SDA
Three people died when the helicopter was shot down over the Black Sea on October 18, 2023. The verdict was handed down by a military court in Rostov-on-Don for negligence, as reported by the newspaper Kommersant.
The officer stationed on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, had believed he had targeted a Ukrainian drone. It then turned out that the anti-aircraft missile hit a helicopter. Three people on board died in the crash.
Ukraine, to which Crimea belongs under international law, has repeatedly attacked the peninsula with drones and missiles in the Russian war of aggression that has been going on for almost three years. This has often resulted in heavy explosions and massive damage; there have also been repeated deaths and injuries.
Ministry defeated with demand for harsher punishment
According to the newspaper, the anti-aircraft officer was initially sentenced to three years in prison by a military court in the city of Sevastopol in Crimea. The Ministry of Defense and the widows of the killed helicopter crew then demanded a harsher sentence. However, the court in Rostov-on-Don has now reduced the sentence because the man has shown remorse, it said. Instead of the almost 200 million roubles (around 1.89 million euros) fine demanded by the ministry for the loss of the helicopter, he only has to pay 5 million roubles.
