Yurashs Yuris (Juris Jurašs)

In the occupied Donetsk region, no later than June 2024, a criminal case was opened against a 49-year-old citizen of Latvia, former deputy of the Latvian Saeima Juris Jurass. He was accused of participating as a mercenary in an armed conflict and spreading "fakes" about the Russian army motivated by political hatred. According to the version of Russian law enforcement, no later than March 9, 2022, he arrived in Ukrainian territory and voluntarily joined the paramilitary formation "Carpathian Sich" as a mercenary. He was provided with personal firearms, ammunition, uniforms, and special equipment. In Ukraine, Jurass underwent military training, was supplied with food, other necessary means, and also received material compensation. From March 9, 2022, to June 27, 2024, Jurass carried out orders from the command of the paramilitary formation "Carpathian Sich," which consisted of direct participation in hostilities on the side of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies against representatives of the law enforcement agencies of the DNR, LNR, and military personnel of the RF Armed Forces, systematically receiving material compensation of more than 2 million rubles for this. In addition, Jurass is accused of posting publications in April 2022 about murders of civilians committed by Russian servicemen in Bucha and Irpin in the Kyiv region of Ukraine. A statement of similar content was made by him during an interview with a representative of a Ukrainian mass media outlet. Jurass claimed that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation destroyed civilians in the cities of Bucha and Irpin in the Kyiv region of Ukraine, as a fact specifically observed by him, thus allegedly acting as an eyewitness to the specified illegal actions and artificially creating evidence of the accusation. After this, a video recording of the specified statement was placed on the Internet in public access for an unlimited circle of users. Jurass was placed on international wanted list and in absentia chosen a measure of restraint in the form of detention. On September 24, 2024, the Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic found Juris Jurass guilty and in absentia sentenced him to 17 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony. The verdict was not appealed and entered into force.