Russian receives 22-year sentence over railway sabotage

A Russian court sentenced a man to 22 years in prison for two acts of sabotage on railway lines in Crimea last year, the court said on Telegram on Tuesday.

The court said Pavel Levchenko was recruited and trained by Ukraine's SBU security service and sent to the annexed Crimea to carry out "acts of terrorism".

"The defendant was found guilty and sentenced to 22 years' imprisonment," the court said.

The court said Levchenko had carried out two explosions on railway lines while cargo trains were passing and had planned more acts of sabotage. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014.

Russian courts have ordered multiple heavy jail terms for treason, terrorism and sabotage since the start of the military offensive -- accusing people of working for Ukraine or with Western governments to undermine Russia's campaign.