Nadiya Savchenko Convicted

By Mendeleyeev

The Ukrainian military pilot who was captured in Ukrainian rebel-held territory, and then spirited across the border by her captors, has been convicted by a Russian court in the deaths of two Russian journalists.

Nadiya Savchenko was sentenced to 22 years in a Russian prison after the court proclaimed her to be guilty of "spotting" artillery fire against pro-Russian rebels in June 2014. The court denied her legal team the opportunity to challenge the prosecutors charges, and they were not allowed to cross-examine state witnesses.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko vowed that Ukraine would never recognize the verdict. Poroshenko indicated that he was ready to exchange two Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine for Savchenko's release.