Russia Jails Ukrainian for 24 Years in Case Rights Groups Call Politically Motivated

A Russian military court has sentenced 30-year-old Ukrainian citizen Yan Haupt to 24 years in prison on terrorism-related charges, in what rights groups describe as another politically motivated prosecution of a Ukrainian by Russian authorities. The Southern District Military Court ordered Haupt to spend the first five years in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony. He was also fined 700,000 rubles, according to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Russian state media confirmed the 24-year sentence, reporting that authorities accused Haupt of allegedly preparing an attack on railway infrastructure in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Haupt, a Kyiv native, moved to Russian-occupied Crimea in 2019, where his fiancée lived. According to the CTRC, his move was also connected to his asthma, as the Crimean climate helped alleviate his symptoms. He and his fiancée relocated to Krasnodar in 2024 amid growing security concerns on the occupied peninsula. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.