The Moscow Basmanny Court sentenced Levan Pipia, the deputy commander of the Georgian Legion fighting on the side of Ukraine, to two months' imprisonment in absentia as a preventive measure.
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According to the court's press service, Pipia is accused under the 3rd part of Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which pertains to the participation of a hired soldier in an armed conflict or hostilities. The crime is punishable by 7 to 15 years of imprisonment.
An international search has been announced for Levan Pipia. According to the court's decision, the term of pretrial detention will be counted from the moment of his extradition to Russia or his arrest on the territory of Russia.
Levan Pipia was born in Ochamchire, in occupied Abkhazia. He has been fighting against Russia in Ukraine since 2016.
The Georgian Legion is a volunteer military unit created in 2014 at the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. It is the largest formation of foreign fighters in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The founder and commander of the legion is Mamuka Mamulashvili.
In July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs charged Mamuka Mamulashvili and more than 70 members of the Georgian Legion in absentia with criminal charges. At the end of February 2024, the Basman court sentenced Mamuka Mamulashvili to pretrial detention in absentia.