About the case: Five foreigners who fought for the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrendered in Mariupol in the industrial zone of the Azovstal factory. Mathias Gustavsson, Vekoslav Prebeg, John Harding and Dylan Healy are accused of training for terrorist activities and mercenarism, Andrew Hill – only of training for terrorist activities. As of September 26, 2023, all defendants have been exchanged, but the trial continues
The case is being considered by a panel of judges Denis Alexandrovich Galkin (presiding), Igor Viktorovich Shendrikov, Dmitry Viktorovich Merkulov of the Southern District Military Court.
Prosecutor – Dmitry Vladimirovich Yunoshev.
Judge Galkin announces that the court has decided to continue the trial in the absence of the defendants, then asks the prosecutor to announce the order of consideration of evidence. Yunoshev announces the order: the testimony of the defendants from the preliminary investigation, written evidence, the interrogation of the witness in custody, the testimony of the deceased. The prosecutor submits a written request on the order of examination of evidence, the court approves it. Yunoshev asks for the first volumes of the criminal case and proceeds to the reading of the detention records, then he reads out two interrogation records of Matias Gustavsson and a protocol of “reproduction of circumstances” of the same defendant.
From the Gustavsson’s testimony it can be concluded that, according to the defendant, since 2012 he regularly came to Ukraine as a tourist, he had a Ukrainian passport and a driver’s license issued in Ukraine; on February 23, 2022 he came from Kiev to Mariupol to join the AFU; he had no combat experience, he had not performed military service before his contract with the AFU; he enlisted as a motor sailor, the next day he received an automatic weapon, but he was not trained in its use, he did not participate in combat operations – he was used only for patrolling the area, twice Gustavsson shot down drones.
The court clerk interrupted the prosecutor to announce that one of the defense attorneys had to appear at another hearing in the same court. The court adjourns.
