A Russian court has sentenced a New Zealander to 14 years in prison – although he wasn't there to hear the ruling or serve the time.
According to Euromaidan Press, Jordan O'Brien was sentenced in absentia for fighting as a mercenary in an armed conflict.
O'Brien was fighting in the Ukrainian army. Russian prosecutors said he entered Russia's Kursk region with Ukrainian forces earlier this year.
O'Brien addressed the sentence on X, linking to the Euromaidan article: "I've received my sentence, lol."
The Kiwi has posted frequently about the conflict on social media.
The Kursk region's judicial press service appeared to confirm the sentence. It was also reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Current Time.
"The Kursk regional court sentenced New Zealand citizen Jordan O'Brien to 14 years in prison," a press service Telegram post in Russian said.
"According to investigators, in 2022, O'Brien joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a mercenary and participated in hostilities against military personnel of the Russian Armed Forces for financial reward," the post continued.
"In August 2024, as part of a military unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, he illegally invaded the territory of the Kursk region, where he continued to participate in the armed conflict."
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The court also ordered that 1.3 million rubles (about NZ$21,700) be confiscated from O'Brien, saying the money was "received by O'Brien as a result of committing a crime".
O'Brien's sentence would come into force "from the moment of crossing the state border or from the moment of actual detention on the territory of the Russian Federation", the post said.
