VILNIUS, Lithuania — A Lithuanian court on Wednesday found the Soviet Union’s last defence minister guilty of war crimes for his role in a violent crackdown on the Baltic country’s independence move 28 years ago. The Vilnius Regional Court sentenced 94-year-old Dmitry Yazov in absentia to 10 years in prison. The verdict comes at a time of growing military activity in the Baltic Sea region, with several reports of alleged airspace violations by Russian military aircraft and an increased presence of Russian military vessels. All three countries won independence later in 1991 as the Soviet Union collapsed. The Russian embassy in Vilnius has complained that embassy staff were not allowed to attend the hearing.

Source: National Post March 27, 2019 10:17 UTC