DONETSK, Russia – A Russian court has begun reading a verdict for Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, who is charged with complicity to murder two Russian journalists in war-torn eastern Ukraine.
The judge began reading the verdict Monday morning. He quoted arguments by prosecutors who said Savchenko, who served in a volunteer Ukrainian battalion at the time, called in the co-ordinates for shelling that killed the two journalists and several civilians in July 2014. He also quoted them as saying she was driven by “political hatred” toward residents of Ukraine’s Luhansk region.
The judge in the trial quoted the prosecution saying that Savchenko was part of a “criminal group” and aimed to kill an “unlimited number of people.”
Prosecutors have asked for a 23-year prison sentence for Savchenko. Sentencing is expected on Tuesday.
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This story has been corrected to show that Savchenko has not been found guilty. The judge, quoting prosecutors, said Savchenko was complicit in the killing, but stopped short of pronouncing her guilty. A verdict will come at the end of the verdict-reading process, which is expected to take two days.
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