KIEV, February 10 (RAPSI) – Russian national was convicted in Ukraine of creating a terrorist organization, illegal posession of firearms and explosives, sentenced to eight years in prison, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday, citing the prosecutor’s office of the Donetsk Region.

According to investigators, in February 2014, the man, a resident of Russia's Ryazan Region, went to Crimea with his accomplice, where he joined a group whose actions “facilitated the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.” After that, the man traveled to eastern Ukraine, where he supported the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and “took part in public riots in Donetsk and the Donetsk Region together with other members of the DPR terrorist organization.”

Ukrainian authorities claim that the man was arrested during an attack on a roadblock near the village of Yurkivka in the Donetsk Region in June.

Crimea, a largely Russian-speaking republic, opted to break away from Ukraine and voted to join Russia in March.

An armed conflict in the southeast of Ukraine began in April, when Kiev launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed federalization supporters in the region. The overall death toll now exceeds 5,358 people, with another 12,235 wounded since mid-April last year, according to the latest UN report.