A former Russian military officer has been sentenced to 19 years in prison on charges of participating in the banned Islamic State terrorist organization, the state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday.
Denis Khisamov was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in Krasnodar and was sentenced by a district military court in Rostov-on-Don for participating in activities “recognized as terrorist.” He stepped down from his position as captain in the Defense Ministry in 2009.
Khisamov admitted to participating in 10 Islamic State operations in Syria between 2015 and 2016, according to case materials obtained by TASS.
One of the operations included the seizure of the Syrian town of Al-Rai, in which eight people were killed and 13 others injured.
In April 2017, Khisamov was arrested for falsified documents in Turkey and later deported to Russia. He had already returned to Syria by the time a Russian court handed him a three-year prison sentence in December of that year, TASS reported.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
