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Russian Soldier Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison on Treason Charges

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A Russian soldier has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason and illegal access to state secrets, the state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday, citing court records.

The sentencing is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent court verdicts against military servicemembers since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The case against the serviceman, who TASS identified as Corporal Ilya Trachuk, was heard by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don.

The court sentenced Trachuk to 14 years in a strict regime prison colony and ruled to strip the corporal of his military rank.

The trial was held behind closed doors as it involved state secrets, TASS said, and no details of the case were publicized. 

The serviceman was prosecuted twice in 2022 for disciplinary misconduct, according to the case materials cited by TASS.

In 2022, the first year of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian soldiers were nearly three times more likely to be accused of crimes against military service including desertion and insubordination than the previous year, according to Prosecutor General's Office data.

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