Chechnya’s supreme court on Monday sentenced a Turkish man to 23 years in prison for carrying out attacks against civilians, police and Russian soldiers in the restive Caucasus state, Interfax reported.

Ali Soytekinoglu was accused of having taken part in “five attacks against civilians, members of the forces of law and order and Russian soldiers as well as an attack killing 14 police,” prosecutor Ivan Sydoruk said.

He was trained in Georgia and crossed the border into Chechnya with a group led by guerrilla chief Ruslan Gelayev, Sydoruk said.

Russia has accused Turkey on several occasions of turning a blind eye to Chechen militants on its territory.

The Chechen struggle for independence enjoys widespread support in Turkey, particularly among Islamists and immigrants from the Caucasus region.

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