Russia is continuing its terror against Ukrainians on occupied territory with horrific sentences for donations to Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The aggressor state claims that the Ukrainians committed ‘treason’ by supporting the defenders of their own country.
Iryna Sukhodei (b. 4 July 1960), a pensioner from occupied Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia oblast was sentenced on 12 December 2025 to twelve and a half years in a medium-security prison colony.
The invaders claimed that Sukhodei had “financed Ukraine’s Armed Forces” through donations amounting to 1700 roubles, or around 18 euros. While the small amount was doubtless due solely to her modest means, the claim that this constituted ‘state treason’ under Article 275 of Russia’s criminal code is preposterous and profoundly cynical. Russia has made it impossible to live on occupied territory without taking Russian citizenship and is then using such a foisted passport as excuse for claiming that Ukrainians, living in their own country, are ‘Russian’.
Sukhodei is known to be imprisoned at SIZO No. 1 in occupied Crimea, however the sentence was, purportedly, handed down on 12 December 2025 by the occupation ‘Zaporizhzhia regional court’. As almost always, nothing is known about any actual ‘trial’, or who passed the sentence. Although Russia always holds ‘trials’ on treason or spying charges behind closed doors, the ‘sentences’ announced by kangaroo courts on occupied territory could just as easily be announced without any prior proceedings. While this can sometimes be because the ‘defendant’ has, probably under duress and without access to an independent lawyer, admitted the charges, there is nothing to suggest that this was the case here.
The ‘prosecution’ claimed that Iryna Sukhodei had, in March 2023 seen a request for donations to help Ukraine’s Armed Forces, with this providing bank details. The pensioner had set up an automatic payment from her bank account to make such donations, using an app on her telephone. According to RIA-South, Sukhodei’s pension had continued being paid into her Ukrainian bank account, and it was from this, already modest, amount of money that Sukhodei set up the small monthly payment for which she was sentenced to twelve and a half years’ imprisonment as well as a further year of restricted liberty.
There was absolutely nothing illegal in Sukhodei’s actions. Russia is, on the other hand, violating international law by both forcing Ukrainians to take Russian citizenship and by applying its legislation on occupied territory. There is, further, every reason to assume that Sukhodei was denied her fundamental rights to a fair trial, and almost certainly held incommunicado. There is no information even as to how long she has already been imprisoned, although this could be as much as a year since the automatic payments are said to have continued through November 2024. It is also possible that the advertisement which Sukhodei saw may have been a set-up, to catch Ukrainian patriots seeking to help their own army. This is impossible to verify, but it has been noticeable how often this phrase appears in similar ‘indictments’.
The authoritative Memorial Support for Political Prisoners Project has stated that it considers Iryna Sukhodei a political prisoner, as it does all Ukrainians accused of ‘treason’ for money transfers to Ukraine.
Russia is bringing such sentences for so-called ‘treason’, as well as equally long, or longer, sentences for supposed ‘spying’ on a virtually daily basis. In a terrifyingly large number of cases, even the person’s name is not given.
There were, for example, two sentences of identical length passed by the same kangaroo court on 12 December. A second woman, aged 55, was also convicted of ‘treason’, under Article 275, and sentenced to 12.5 years, with the donations in her case amounting to 1,4 thousand roubles (around 15 euros).
On 10 December, a man from occupied Melitopol was sentenced to 15 years’ maximum-security imprisonment on both ‘treason’ and ‘spying charges’ (under Articles 275 and 276 of Russia’s criminal code, respectively). The alleged ‘treason’ was over donations amounting to 6 421 roubles (69 euros), with the supposed ‘spying’ over having, allegedly, sent photos of a Rosgvardia military column to Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, with the Russian aggressor state complaining that these photos “could have been used against the security of the RF.”
By foisting its foisting its citizenship on Ukrainians, Russia is making it even harder to secure their release. Silence only helps the aggressor state. Please help with circulating the above information and the little known about the cases below
Maryna Bilousova
Russia sentences 61-year-old Ukrainian to 12. 5 years for donation to Ukraine’s defenders
Yulia Stanika
Russian invaders’ ‘court’ sentences Ukrainian to 12. 5 years for patriotism
Lilia Kachariova and Svitlana Dovhopola
Huge sentences and videoed ‘repentance’ in Russia’s mounting terror in occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast
Serhiy Shtyrov
60-year-old from Russian-occupied Donbas sentenced to 13 years for donations to Ukraine’s defenders
Tetiana Omelchenko
Kateryna Korovina
Ivan Semykoz
Russia sentences Ukrainian to 8.5 years for donation as a teenager to Ukraine’s Azov Regiment
Stanislav Rudenko
Roman Hryhorian
Ukrainian seized in Crimea and sentenced to 12 years for donations to Ukraine' s defenders
Liudmyla Kolesnikova
Three unnamed victims
Russia stages terror arrests in occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast for donations to Ukraine’s Armed Forces
