The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has handed down a verdict against Ukrainian citizen Roman Klyukin. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of espionage and terrorism. This was reported by Glavkom, citing Russian media.
According to the investigation, in October 2024, Klyukin signed a contract with the Crimean Tatar battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhihan, where he served as a rifleman and medic.
This battalion is a volunteer unit that was formed in early 2016. It was named after the prominent Crimean Tatar politician, the first head of the government of the Crimean People’s Republic, and the author of the Crimean Tatar anthem. After February 2022, when the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion, the battalion officially joined the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On June 1, 2022, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation designated the battalion a terrorist organization and banned its activities on Russian territory and in occupied Crimea.
The prosecution alleges that in January 2025, Klyukin was gathering information about Russian military personnel in the Donetsk region as part of a “spying mission.” He was likely captured on March 7, 2025, in the Kursk region.
The court notes that Klyukin allegedly admitted his guilt, but it is impossible to verify this information independently. Human rights activists emphasize that by trying Ukrainian prisoners of war on such charges, Russia is violating the Geneva Convention and other norms of international law.
