Georgian blogger sentenced to seven years in absentia by Russian-occupied Donetsk court

A court in Russian-occupied Donetsk has sentenced Georgian blogger Domenik Mango (Kukuri Baramidze) to seven years in prison in absentia.

According to the Russian Prosecutor’s Office website, Baramidze was found guilty under Article 359, Part 3, of the Russian Criminal Code, which concerns participation as a mercenary in an armed conflict.

The prosecution claims that Baramidze took part in the Russia-Ukraine war as a mercenary with the Georgian National Legion between March and April 2022.

Domenik Mango had indeed been in Ukraine after the war began, but he has stated that he did not engage in combat and instead assisted Ukraine in other ways.