‘It Has Gone on Far Too Long’ – Ukraine at War Update for Dec. 20
Kremlin imprisons two for allegedly planning terror attacks on Kyiv’s behalf
A Russian military court jailed two people to 21 years in prison on charges of planned terror attacks allegedly organized by Ukraine.
Viktoria Shinkarchuk, a former local government official in the Russian Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, as was a plumber Alexander Kholodkov, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Shinkarchuk’s lawyer claimed she had received 107,000 rubles (currently about $1033) from her ex-husband in Ukraine, and passed the money on to a third person without knowing what it was for.
AFP said that both were found guilty of having taken part in a terrorist group, illegal possession of explosives, smuggling explosives and preparing an explosion or terrorist act.
Shinkarchuk previously worked as an inspector in the Belgorod local administration, Russian media reported.
Prosecutors said the pair had in September 2022 received money from Shinkarchuk’s former partner living in Ukraine.
Investigators from the Russian security service, the FSB, contends it was intended to be used to orchestrate attacks within Russia, using explosives.
Kholodkov, a childhood friend of Shinkarchuk’s husband, is said to have received about a half-million rubles (currently about $4,830).
The third party whom they paid, was actually an undercover FSB agent who posed as a supporter of Kyiv.
Both defendants said they had been framed, AFP wrote, insisting they did not know what the money was for.
EC tells members to increase Ukraine aid, and tells the rest of the world to stop propping-up Russia’s war machine
Meanwhile, in Brussels, the European Commission called on its members to “step up” their aid levels to Ukraine, and warned other countries throughout the world to refrain from supporting Russia’s invasion, on a day when Zelensky met with EC President Ursula Van Der Leyen.
Source: John Moretti