A Russian paratrooper who was found guilty of bribery has had his nine-year prison sentence commuted in view of his military service in Ukraine.
Paratrooper Yevgeny Teterin, who was also initially ordered to pay a fine of 25 million rubles (€250,000), was absolved by a court in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg from both the fine and the prison sentence citing medals he received for his military service in Ukraine, local news outlet It’s My City reported on Tuesday.
Teterin was found guilty of “bribery facilitation” to the tune of 12 million rubles (€120,000) while helping a local gravel company “resolve issues” with the police, the tax authorities and the environmental supervision service before the war in Ukraine, the court’s press service said.
On 23 March Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law exempting veterans of the war in Ukraine from liability for most crimes, including murder, grievous bodily harm and rape.