This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
A court in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the capital of Russia’s Kamchatka region in the Far East, on August 12 sentenced a local man to 10 years in prison for beating to death another man who had criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Media reports identified the convicted man as Aleksei Yarmolovich, 32.
Investigators say Yarmolovich and his victim were drinking alcohol together when Yarmolovich attacked the man and hit him with a dumbbell after he started praising the Ukrainian armed forces and condemning Russia’s aggression against its neighbor.
The court rejected Yarmolovich’s claim of self-defense and found him guilty of murder.
