Russia imprisons Colombian mercenary for 28 years due to Kursk Region attack

(MENAFN) A Russian court has sentenced Colombian Pablo Puentes Boorghes to 28 years in prison and fined him 1 million rubles (about $12,700) for participating in a Ukrainian armed incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region. The Investigative Committee charged him with mercenarism, terrorism, illegal border crossing, arms trafficking, and illegal possession of firearms.

Authorities said Boorghes voluntarily joined Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade in late 2024 and took part in a cross-border attack targeting the Sudzhansky District, aiming to intimidate civilians, damage infrastructure, and disrupt local governance. He was captured near the village of Alexandria during clashes and admitted guilt in pretrial hearings.

Boorghes will serve five years in prison followed by time in a maximum-security penal colony. Additionally, over 230,000 rubles ($2,900) were confiscated from him for the state’s benefit.

Russia has previously prosecuted foreign nationals fighting for Ukraine, including a British citizen sentenced to 19 years for similar charges in the same region. Moscow warns that foreign fighters in Ukraine will be treated as mercenaries without Geneva Convention protections.

According to Russian Defense Ministry data cited in December, about 15,000 foreign fighters from over 110 countries have joined Ukraine’s forces since the conflict began, with nearly 6,500 killed in action, many from Poland, the US, and Georgia.

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