Ukrainian army Gen. Viktor Nazarov has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of neglect of duty and inaction in the case of an Il-76 transport aircraft downed in Luhansk in 2014, which resulted in the death of 40 Ukrainian paratroopers, according to the media outlet InfoResist.
”Viktor Mykolayovych Nazarov is found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison,” a judge of Dnipropetrovsk region`s Pavlohrad court read out the verdict on Monday, March 27, InfoResist reported.
The court ruled that Nazarov was sentenced under Part 3 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which foresees imprisonment from five to eight years as the punishment.
The court did not strip him of his major-general rank.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry was obliged to pay compensation to the victims` family members for emotional distress, but only the parents and wives will get the money, which is set at UAH 500,000 per person.
The court accepted the proof provided by the prosecution, however, the judge also took into account the fact that the defendant has a positive personal record and has not been convicted before.
The judge said that the general could appeal for clemency and challenge the ruling in court.
Earlier, the Il-76 plane was downed with the use of a Russian anti-aircraft system in June 2014 when landing at Luhansk airport. Nine crew members and 40 paratroopers of the 25th Dnipropetrovsk Separate Airborne Brigade aboard were killed in a terrorist act.
The Prosecutor General`s Office opened a criminal case on charges of terrorism and initiated criminal proceedings against officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Control Headquarters of the Anti-Terrorist Operation on charges of neglect of duty.
Prosecutors claim the suspected ignored reports about an increase in terrorists` activity near the airport of Luhansk and the presence of portable anti-aircraft systems. They had to take measures to land the aircraft safely.
See also: Over 2,600 Ukrainian soldiers killed in Donbas war – Ukraine`s Defense Ministry
