The High Court of Appeals in Prague, Czech Republic, made a final ruling on Tuesday, September 8th, to change the previous suspended sentence of three years for 58-year-old Czech citizen Miloš Ouřecký to three and a half years of actual imprisonment. He was charged with fighting for pro-Russian armed groups in Donbas.
According to Czech media Novinky, previously, the Prague City Court sentenced Ouřecký to three years of imprisonment with probation and required him to complete 100 hours of community service. The prosecution had demanded a four-year prison sentence at that time.
Subsequently, the State Prosecutor considered the original sentence to be too lenient and appealed the decision.
After reviewing the case, the highest level court in Prague supported the prosecution’s viewpoint, stating that the initial ruling was “clearly too lenient” and did not adequately reflect the severity of participating in a terrorist organization. As a result, the first-instance verdict was completely revoked, and he was sentenced to actual imprisonment while other parts of the sentence remained unchanged.
According to reports from the Polish Press Agency (PAP), Ouřecký was dispatched in 2017 by the pro-Russian quasi-military organization “Czechoslovak Soldiers in Reserve for Peace” to Eastern Ukraine in Donbas, where he joined the special reconnaissance assault company of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” army as a driver.
During his time there, he received weapons, underwent military training, and was involved in combat against Ukrainian forces, serving in the conflict zone for about six months.
Currently, the head of the “Czechoslovak Soldiers in Reserve for Peace” is also under criminal investigation for alleged support of terrorism.
This association consists mainly of veterans who oppose the Czech Republic’s membership in NATO and the EU, labeling those supporting Czech membership in these organizations as “traitors to the homeland.” The Czech Ministry of the Interior and intelligence agencies have classified it as an extremist organization.
Czech courts have also sentenced several other Czech citizens who fought for the Russian side. Among them, one individual was sentenced to 21 years in prison for his involvement in combat against Ukrainian soldiers and the killing of at least four Ukrainian military personnel.