HARTFORD – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the bipartisan Senate Ukraine Caucus, released the following statement on the verdict and sentencing of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko to 22 years in prison: 

“The show trial of Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko has ended as we knew it would, with a guilty verdict. This travesty of justice says more about the unfortunate state of Russia’s judicial system than about the actions of this brave young woman. The proceedings were politicized from the beginning, and ignored evidence showing that Savchenko was miles away from the location where she was accused of being a spotter for shelling that killed two Russian journalists.  I commend Lt. Savchenko’s bravery and determination in the face of her ongoing detention, and call on Russian authorities to immediately free Nadiya and end their aggression in eastern Ukraine.”