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Facing 20 Years In Russian Jail, This Ukrainian Bursts Into Song


A court in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don has just sentenced an acclaimed Ukrainian film director, Oleh Sentsov, who was accused of masterminding terrorist attacks in Crimea.

Sentsov says the charges are politically motivated and that "a trial by occupiers cannot be fair by definition."

Standing in a cage, the judge delivered the verdicts: 20 years for Sentsov and 10 years for his co-defendant, Ukrainian activist Oleksandr Kolchenko.

Just after the judge asks -- "Do you understand the court's sentence and the terms of appeal?" -- the two men start singing.

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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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