MOSCOW, March 29 (RAPSI) – The First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction on Monday upheld a 12-year prison sentence passed upon a former Ukrainian football player Vasily Vasilenko for espionage, the court’s press service told RAPSI.

The Moscow City Court convicted and sentenced Vasilenko in December. The trial was held by a panel consisting of three judges behind closed doors as the case was classified.

The Ukrainian citizen was arrested in October 2019 on trafficking allegations but later charges were changed to spying.