On July 2, a Russian court sentenced a 19-year-old man to 12 years in prison. He was accused of “treason” for donating money to Ukrainian forces.
According to the Russian state media “RIA Novosti”, the FSB security service claims the teenager sent funds to Ukraine to purchase drones and food for their troops. The reports also state that he was arrested at an airport while attempting to depart Russia.
“The Rostov regional court found the man guilty and sentenced him to a punishment in the form of 12 years in a strict penal colony,” according to the FSB statement.
This case highlights a broader trend in Russia of imposing prison sentences on individuals accused of supporting Ukraine.
In Saint Petersburg, activist and filmmaker Vsevolod Korolev faced a doubled sentence of seven years for making videos about people who had been jailed for speaking out against the Kremlin’s offensive.
The sentence came after both he and prosecutors appealed his initial three-year term. Korolev’s original conviction stemmed from social media criticism of the Ukraine war, with accusations of spreading “false information” about civilian killings in Bucha, Ukraine.
“Korolev believed his sentence to be illegal and unfounded,” the press service of the court said, while the prosecutors proposed his sentence to be raised to nine years. “The appeal court changed the decision, increasing Korolev’s punishment to seven years in prison.”
Additionally, since the full-scale invasion, Russia has been sentencing Ukrainian prisoners of war as well as civilians, that has faced instances of torture, ranging from severe beatings and prolonged stress positions to electric shocks and enduring constant hunger.
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