Prymorsky District Court of Odesa sentenced activist Serhiy Sternenko to seven years in prison after convicting him of abducting Lyman village council deputy Serhiy Scherbych.

The court passed the verdict on Tuesday, the meeting was broadcast on social networks.

"Sternenko was found guilty [...] of illegal imprisonment [...] with the use of weapons for a long time [...] with the aim of taking possession of other people's property," the court said.

In addition, according to a court ruling, half of all property of activist was seized.

"To impose a sentence on Sternenko in the form of imprisonment for a period of seven years and seven months with confiscation of half of his property," the court said in the ruling.

The term of serving the sentence is from February 23, 2021.

As Sternenko wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday, the court decided to take him into custody right in the courtroom and put him in a pretrial detention center. "We are given a pretrial detention center with custody in the courtroom," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of people who came to the courthouse to support Sternenko stood in a "human chain" near the courtroom so as not to release the paddy wagon in which the activist is. His supporters throw smoke bombs.

Representatives of the association "Resistance to Surrender" due to the sentencing of Sternenko announced their intentions on Tuesday evening to hold a protest in Kyiv on Bankova Street, where the President's Office of Ukraine is located. The start of the action was announced at 20:00.