The court sentenced two FSB officers who persecuted Ukrainian journalist Hanna Andriyevska, to 13 years in prison in absentia, the press service of the Kyiv-based Prosecutor's Office for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol reported.

"At the public accusation of the prosecutor's office of the autonomy, two employees of the occupation directorate of the FSB of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, who persecuted Ukrainian journalist Hanna Andriyevska, were sentenced to 13 years in prison in absentia," the Telegram channel said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors proved in court that two employees of the SBU in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014 changed their oath and defected to the enemy, taking up the positions of senior criminalist investigator and category I specialist (expert) of the "FSB of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol."

"Implementing the policy of the aggressor state to curtail freedom of speech, harassment and violation of the rights of Ukrainian journalists in Crimea, the ‘law enforcement officers’ persecuted Hanna Andriyevska in connection with her professional activities, namely for publishing articles that objectively covered the events of the active phase of the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula," the message says.

It is reported that as part of a fabricated "criminal case" in March 2015, they illegally entered the apartment of the victim and her parents in Krasnohvardiysky district of Crimea and searched there. Threatening to use force, the "security forces" seized items and documents that belonged to the victim personally and were related to her professional activities.

The defendants in the case "were found guilty of harassment of a journalist for performing professional duties carried out by a group of persons by prior agreement (Part 2 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), illegal entry into a home, illegal search in it with the threat of violence (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 162 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and high treason (Part 1 Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)," the press service of the prosecutor's office informs.