Oleg was senteced to 20 years in prison after a trial described by Amnesty International as “redolent of Stalinist-era show trials.”

Sentsov and his co-defendant Alexander Kolchenko, who received a 10-year sentence, were accused of planning terrorist acts in Crimea after the peninsula was annexed by Russia.

Sentsov directed the 2011 feature film Gamer, but stopped work on a new movie when Russia began to intervene in Crimea. He coordinated relief efforts for the Ukrainian soldiers who were blockaded inside their bases by Russian troops.

In September 2019, both Kolchenko and Sentsov were transfered to Kiev under bilateral exchange of war hostages and political prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.