Belarusian who fought against east Ukraine separatists jailed

Taras Avatarau, a resident of the eastern Belarusian city of Navapolatsk, was found guilty on charges of trafficking weapons and explosive devices, Radio Liberty reported. Avatarau, whose trial began on April 18, was detained in November when he arrived in Minsk on a train from Ukraine. Authorities said they seized a pistol and an explosive device from him at the time of his arrest. According to the investigators, Avatarau fought as a volunteer alongside Right Sector in battles against Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Right Sector was one of many groups across Ukraine's political spectrum that took part in the Kyiv street protests that toppled former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in the Euromaidan revolution of 2014.