Akunin, who has been living in exile since 2014, is sentenced in his absence to 14 years in prison by a Russian court. In addition to the support for Ukraine, the 69-year-old is sentenced for having suggested a "revolution" to replace Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
A Russian arrest warrant for Akunin, pseudonym for Grigorij Tjchartisjvili, was issued in February last year. He has previously been placed on Russia's black list of terrorism, labeled as a "foreign agent" due to his opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Akunin himself has described the trial as a "farce".
Akunin is one of Russia's largest contemporary authors, known for, among other things, the novel "Winter Queen" about the detective Erast Fandorin. He is one of many prominent cultural profiles who have left Russia since the country's invasion of the Crimean peninsula. Those who have stayed have been met with strict censorship.
