State Duma of the Russian Federation (Photo: EPA)

The Ukrainian court found 20 members of the Russian State Duma guilty of encroaching on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine and sentenced them to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property, the press service of the Security Service reported.

On February 15, 2022, the lawmakers supported the resolution regarding the appeal to the President of the Russian Federation with a request to recognize the "independence" of the temporarily occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine. On February 22, they voted for the ratification of the "agreement on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance" between the Russian Federation and the terrorist organizations of the "LPR" and "DPR".

The Kremlin later used these decisions as a formal pretext for launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and justifying armed aggression.

"On the basis of the collected evidence, the court found the Russian parliamentarians guilty of Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (encroachment on the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine) and sentenced them to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property," the message says.

The following legislators were convicted:

Sergey Viktorovich Altukhov, born on February 23, 1982.
Andrey Gennadiyevich Alshevskikh, born on 14.05.1972
Olga Nikolaevna Amelchenkova, born September 5, 1990
Andrey Anatolievich Anikeev, born on December 16, 1961.
Grigoriy Viktorovich Anikeev, born on February 28, 1972.
Valentina Nikolaevna Artamonova, born on December 13, 1960.
Otari Ionovich Arshba, born on April 12, 1955.
Alyona Igorevna Arshinova, born on March 3, 1985.
Timofey Tymofeevich Bazhenov, born on January 25, 1976.
Zarif Zakirovich Baiguskarov, born on June 30, 1967.
Nikolay Ivanovich Bortsov, born on May 8, 1945.
Vadim Yevgenievich Bulavinov, born on March 20, 1963.
Dmitry Viktorovich Islamov, born on December 5, 1977.
Mikhail Vladimirovich Kuzmin, born on February 28, 1972.
Denis Vasilievich Maidanov, born on February 17, 1976.
Nikolay Vasilievich Pankov, born on January 5, 1965.
Yuriy Aleksandrovich Petrov, born on April 10, 1947
Olga Vasilievna Pilipenko, born on January 4, 1966.
Valentina Nikolaevna Pivnenko, born on June 14, 1947.
Dmitry Viktorovich Pogoriely, born on October 4, 1977.

Since the convicts are currently on the territory of the Russian Federation, the beginning of the term of serving the sentence is determined from the day of their actual detention.