A Moscow court has sentenced Georgian mercenary Guram Beruashvili, who fought in the Russo-Ukrainian war, to 28 years in prison in absentia.

“Taking into account the position of the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office, 48-year-old Georgian mercenary Guram Beruashvili was sentenced in absentia to 28 years in prison, the first eight years of which he must serve in prison, and the remaining time in a strict regime colony,” the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

According to the agency, Beruashvili was found guilty of criminal charges related to participation in an armed conflict as a mercenary, illegal crossing of the Russian state border, smuggling of firearms and ammunition, terrorist attacks, as well as illegal transportation, possession and storage of firearms, their main parts and ammunition.

According to Russian media, the court found that Beruashvili arrived in Ukraine in 2022, where he joined the armed forces in order to receive compensation.

“In August 2024, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and ammunition, he entered the Kursk region, where he resisted the lawful activities of the personnel of the Russian armed forces,” the Moscow Prosecutor’s Office said.