A Russian military court on Wednesday handed down long prison sentences to 12 members of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, which led the defence of the city of Mariupol in the early months of the war and is designated as a “terrorist organization” by Russia.

The defendants, charged with “terrorist activity” and with “violently seizing or retaining power,” were sentenced to between 13 and 23 years in prison, Russian state media reported.

There was no immediate Ukrainian comment on the verdicts. Ukraine’s human rights envoy, Dmytro Lubinets, denounced the proceedings when they began in June 2023 as “another sham trial” held for Russia’s “own amusement.”