In Czech Republic, a volunteer who served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces was sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of looting and serving in a foreign army

The Prague City Court has sentenced a 27-year-old Czech citizen, Filip Siman, to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of “looting in a conflict zone” and serving in a foreign army.

This was reported by CTK.

Siman arrived in Ukraine three weeks after the start of the war and, as a soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the “Carpathian Sich” battalion, visited the cities of Irpin and Bucha.

According to the investigation, he stole property from both deceased soldiers and civilians, including cash, jewelry, electronics, and even Gucci sunglasses.

Prosecutor Martin Bily stated that Siman was charged with mercenarism because he did not have the special permission from the President of the Czech Republic required to fight in a foreign army. Moreover, he should have studied international humanitarian law before going to Ukraine.

Siman claimed in court that he went to Ukraine because his relatives have Ukrainian roots.

He admitted during the hearings that he committed “morally wrong acts,” but denied the looting charges, stating that his unit brought valuables found in houses to the “headquarters” in case Russian forces reoccupied the territory.

Ukrainian military detained Siman in April 2022 and handed him over to Czech authorities. In an interview with Seznam Zprávy, he admitted to looting in Ukrainian cities but later claimed he “lied to sound more interesting.”