Russian court sentences former Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksii Arestovych to 11 years in absentia
The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced Oleksii Arestovych, a former adviser to the presidential chief of staff of Ukraine, in absentia to 11 years in prison, the independent outlet Mediazona said on August 28.
On August 28, the 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced Oleksii Arestovych, a former Ukrainian presidential adviser, to 11 years in prison while he remains abroad. The single-day trial took place behind closed doors and was reported by the independent outlet Mediazona. The charges against Arestovych stem from videos posted in March and April 2022, where he called for "waging a total rail war" against Russia in occupied Ukrainian territories and criticized Russia's strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
The court convicted Arestovych of spreading "fake" information about the Russian military and advocating for terrorism. In January 2023, he resigned from his position and fled Ukraine after claiming Ukrainian air defenses had shot down a Russian missile that destroyed a residential building in Dnipro. Ukraine has initiated two criminal cases against him, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed sanctions against Arestovych in May 2025.
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