MOSCOW, April 5 (RAPSI) – A court in the Republic of Tatarstan has sentenced a local resident to 8 years in prison for being a member of unlawful armed group in Syria, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday.

According to the Republic’s Prosecutor’s Office, the Kukmorskiy District Court has found Vitaliy Gaisin guilty of being a member of armed group in a foreign country pursuing goals that are contrary to interests of the Russian Federation.

His activities in Syria were conducted from November 2014 till November 2015. Gaisin was arrested when he returned home.