Russia jails student who followed IS lover to Syria

In court, Judge Alexander Ababkov said that the "criminal activity of the defendant continued for quite a long time" and that Karaulova had criminal intent.

He added that she was a "supporter of radical Islamist views" and decided to join the militant group while fully aware of its intention to "create an Islamic caliphate."

After being charged last year with preparing to participate in a "terrorist organisation", Karaulova pleaded not guilty, saying she was motivated by love for a Russian IS-recruit.

Defence lawyer Sergei Badamshin criticised the verdict as a "very harsh, unjustified sentence".

"We have already appealed," he added.

Karaulova's defence team argued that Russian authorities are trying to make an example of her to prevent others from trying to head to Syria, where Moscow is conducting a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russians convicted of fighting in Syria typically have been sentenced to two or three years in prison. In many cases they have received amnesties and entered rehabilitation programmes aimed to help them return to their communities.

Over 3,000 Russians are believed to have travelled to Syria to fight alongside Islamic State militants. Most of them, unlike Karaulova, are men from predominantly Muslim regions.

In her closing argument Wednesday the student apologised to her parents for what she called a "teenage rebellion" and said she cannot forgive herself.