Kyrgyz-born German sentenced for joining separatists:
A German citizen who was born in Kyrgyzstan has received a suspended sentence for joining Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine’s east.
A court in the western German city of Dortmund found 43-year-old Alex D. guilty of "jeopardizing state security" on July 10 over his participation in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The man admitted that he had spent two years among the pro-Russian rebels, but denied that he took part in military conflict, saying he was just guarding a hospital in separatist-controlled territory.
He also said at his trial that he had decided to return to Germany after becoming disillusioned with the separatists.
The trial is the second case in which a participant in the conflict is being prosecuted in Germany.
In February, a court in Munich sentenced German citizen Sergej Kisseljow to 2 1/2 years in prison on charges of planning to take part in military activities alongside the separatists in Ukraine.
Kisseljow is a nephew of Dmitry Kiselyov, a Russian state media boss known for fiery anti-Western diatribes. (Deutsche Welle and Die Welt)