Donetsk, Sep 13 — DAN. The Donetsk People’s Republic Supreme Court has sentenced a gunman from the “Azov” nationalistic group to 24 years following trial in absentia, the Russian Investigative Committee press service reported on Wednesday.

“The Court said that the evidence gathered by the SK was sufficient for passing a verdict in absentia on member of the ‘Azov’ nationalistic formation (the organization is banned in Russia) Anton Shtukin, ” the report said.

Shtukin was charged with cruel treatment of civilians, use of banned means and methods of warfare, attempted murder of civilians and malicious damage.

Investigators said that Shtukin, who was fighting in the village of Pokrovskoye, Mariupol District, in 2022, saw several DPR militiamen distributing humanitarian aid to local residents. He fired two anti-tank missiles at the administrative building next to the aid center. There were no casualties, but the building sustained damage.

 Shtukin was sentenced to 24 years in a maximum security penitentiary. The gunman was also put on the federal (international) wanted list.

Earlier reports said that a Ukrainian nationalist who put out cigarette on POW’s face was convicted in the Donetsk People’s Republic.*jk