On June 12, the court in Pavia, Italy sentenced National Guard Vitaliy Markiv to 24 years for alleged complicity in the murder of Italian journalist Andrea Rocchelli near occupied Sloviansk in May 2014. For the first time ever, a Ukrainian soldier, who was just doing his duty defending Ukraine from the Russian aggressor and its minions, was sentenced in a foreign country.
Ukraine-European Union Relations
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An activist holds a placard reading "Italy, do not be like Russia. Free Markiv" during a rally to ask for the release of Ukrainian former national guard commander Vitaly Markiv in front of the Italian embassy in Kyiv on July 12, 2019.
