US Marine Trevor Reed sentenced by Russia for aiding Ukraine
On Wednesday, a Russian court issued an in absentia verdict in the case of Trevor Reed, a former US Marine. He has been sentenced to 14.5 years in prison for participating in combat activities on the side of Ukraine.
12:41 PM EDT, October 9, 2024
Trevor Reed, a former US Marine, was tried in Russia. The court pronounced its verdict in absentia; the American was not present in the courtroom.
As reported by the Reuters agency on Wednesday, the 14.5-year prison sentence is the penalty for the US citizen siding with Ukraine. Trevor Reed is fighting in the Ukrainian army.
A Russian court issued a verdict. An American punished for fighting on the side of Ukraine
This is the second time Reed, a former US Marine, has been sentenced by Russian judges. In 2020, he was accused of assaulting police officers who attempted to take him to a sobering center.
Trevor Reed received a 9-year prison sentence. The US Ambassador issued a statement, assessing that the charges and evidence presented during the trial were so unconvincing that "even the judge laughed."
After two years, the US citizen was released from Russian prison. He was exchanged for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been sentenced in the United States for cocaine trafficking.
In July 2023, the US administration announced that Trevor Reed actively participated in military actions in Ukraine. He suffered severe injuries after stepping on a landmine.
The former Kremlin prisoner was then transported to a hospital in Germany. Now, he is in the spotlight again due to the verdict issued in absentia by a Russian court.
The judges decided that fighting in the Ukrainian army against Russians should be punished with a 14.5-year prison sentence. Additionally, the court decided to place Reed's name on the international wanted list.
