From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!
Friday, December 19, 2025
A {{w|Russia|Russian{} court has sentenced Hayden Davies, a British national and former soldier, to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony. Russian prosecutors allege that Davies fought for Ukraine as a paid mercenary against Russian troops. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office announced the sentencing on Thursday.
According to Reuters, prosecutors stated that Davies, 30, was convicted of being a “paid mercenary” who fought for Ukraine against the Russian army during the ongoing military conflict.
The BBC reported that Davies, whom they identified as a “former British soldier,” was labelled a mercenary by Russian authorities.
According to The Telegraph the court located in Russian-occupied Ukraine, found Davies, 31, guilty of participating “as a mercenary in an armed conflict”.
Visuals released by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and shared by Reuters showed Davies at his hearing in Donetsk, standing inside a cage in the courtroom.
