Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who was sentenced to life in jail in absentia for his role in downing flight MH17 over Ukraine, has been jailed for four years by a court in Moscow for “inciting extremism”.

Girkin, also known as Igor Strelkov has been in jail since last July. The ex-Federal Security Service (FSB) officer had been increasingly critical of the Kremlin’s strategy in Ukraine, calling for more extreme measures. He was also arrested in Crimea last year, attempting to join the Russian military on the front lines.

Girkin was one of three men convicted in 2022 by The Hague district court for supplying the surface-to-air missile that shot down the Malaysian airline passenger jet in 2014.