"Russian Court Sentences Igor Girkin to Four Years for Extremism"

Former rebel commander Igor Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov, has been sentenced to four years in a Russian penal colony for "inciting extremism" by criticizing the Kremlin's war strategy in Ukraine. Girkin, who has accused President Vladimir Putin and the army top brass of mishandling the Ukraine war, shouted "I serve the Fatherland!" after the verdict was read. His supporters gathered outside the court, and three of them were detained by police. Girkin's case is seen as a test of the Kremlin's tolerance for criticism of its Ukraine war effort, and his lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.