Jailed ex-Russian mayor cuts sentence short by agreeing to fight in Ukraine

Cars burned after a Russian rockets hit a hotel in Kharkiv last week (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)

A disgraced former Russian mayor convicted over bribery has had his prison sentence cut short after signing a contract to fight with Russia’s military in Ukraine, local media reported.

Oleg Gumenyuk, who served as mayor of the far eastern city and cultural hub of Vladivostok between 2018 and 2021, was convicted last year of accepting bribes worth 38 million roubles (about £338,000) and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment.