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Jordan O’Brien (left), a former New Zealand soldier fighting in Ukraine, relaxes with a colleague.
Photo: Supplied
A former New Zealand soldier fighting for Ukraine in the war against Russia has been sentenced to 14 years in jail by a Russian court.
Jordan O’Brien was sentenced in absentia for what the Russians said was fighting “as a mercenary” and participating in hostilities “for material reward”.
A report from the joint press service of the judicial system of Kursk, a Russian border territory, said O’Brien invaded the Kursk region as part of the Ukrainian armed forces.
The Russian court also ordered “the amount of over 1.3 million rubles” to be confiscated from O’Brien.
That converts to $20,690.
The Russians say O’Brien’s sentence may come into force if he is ever extradited or deported to Russia.
In a post on social media, O’Brien responded: “Lol”.
“I’ve received my sentence lol. 14 years and docking me 12 and a half grand,” he wrote on X.
O’Brien maintains a regular presence on the site, formerly known as Twitter, where he mocks his Russian opponents and boasts of his unit: “We go where we are sent and we break Russian bodies and machines”.
‘Meat waves’
O’Brien, who previously served with the New Zealand Army for six years working in logistics, has spoken previously about his experience in Ukraine.
He told RNZ that he made the decision to help Ukraine after seeing a news report of a child covered in dust and blood after an explosion that happened at a residential complex.
“Something in my head just clicked and I knew there was just so much more I could do to help.”
He said he walked out of his job at the time in New Zealand and went to Ukraine “on a whim” in March 2022.
In February, he described the Russian forces as “meat waves”.
“There’s no other way to describe it,” he told RNZ.
“Wave after wave of human meat being thrown at our defensive positions, in case our positions get exhausted of their ammo supply.”
Initially signing up with the Ukrainian 131st Separate Recon Battalion, O’Brien is now part of a small first-person-view drone team.
“Our job is to smash the enemy position,” he told The Spinoff in September.
He also told the outlet he had split from his partner in New Zealand and planned to stay in Ukraine.
“I don’t believe I’m suffering from any post-traumatic stress or something like that,” he told RNZ earlier this year, noting it’s been “a long time dealing with the constant fear of death”.
“It’s changed all of us. I don’t know if I’ll see the true effects until after the war,” he said.
He has an inkling of what that future might hold.
“I’m telling you right now though, the whirring of drones in the air is probably gonna send shivers down my spine in the future.
“Even if it’s just some kid flying [one] at the park, I’m probably gonna run for the nearest tree … You hear it so much out here – and the follow-up from that noise is artillery.”