Igor Girkin was found guilty of extremism, and was sentenced to four years in prison by a Russian court. Girkin was previously convicted in absentia in the Netherlands, and sentenced to life in prison, for his role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Girkin has been critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He believes that the armed forces have not been effective enough in Ukraine. The Moscow court found that Girkin was guilty of "public calls to engage in extremist activities."