FILE PHOTO: U.S. ex-Marine Trevor Reed, who was detained in 2019 and accused of assaulting police officers, stands inside a defendants' cage during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo
(Reuters) - A Russian court on Wednesday found Trevor Reed, a former U.S. Marine who was freed by Russia in a 2022 prisoner swap, guilty in absentia of serving as a mercenary for Ukraine and handed him a prison sentence of 14-1/2 years.
Russia's Investigative Committee, which handles serious crimes, said Reed had joined Ukraine's army in July 2023 and "directly participated on the side of the Ukrainian security forces in combat operations" against Russian troops in Ukraine.
