The Memorial Support for Political Prisoners Project has recognized Olha Hulchak; Olena Penza and Yulia Stanika as political prisoners and demanded that Russia release them. The three Ukrainian women from occupied Kherson oblast are among an ever-mounting number of Ukrainian citizens whom Russia has first forced into taking Russian citizenship and then imprisoned on ‘treason’ charges for their support of Ukraine.
Memorial gives several compelling grounds for condemning these prosecutions. Russia has no right to try residents of occupied Ukrainian territory under Russian legislation. Nor is it legal to force Ukrainian citizens to accept Russian citizenship. Olha Hulchak, Olena Penza and Yulia Stanika are, Memorial stresses, “in the first instance citizens of Ukraine, and their persecution for treason against Russia, which attacked their country and violates their rights in occupation, is illegal and absurd. We furthermore consider that persecution under the article on state treason for financing Ukraine’s Army is, in principle, unfounded. It is the war of aggression launched by the authorities that threatens Russia’s security, not resistance to this aggression.”
Olha Hulchak
It is not known with any certainty when Olha Hulchak (b. 25 October 1982) was ‘arrested’, however Memorial assumes that the video posted of the search of her home dates from November 2024. On the same video, Hulchak, already in captivity, states that she transferred money about six times in response to a request from somebody she knew in Chaplinka. She says simply that she knew the money was from Ukraine’s Armed Forces (without expressions of ‘repentance’ which the Russians invariably try to extract).
Hulchak was accused of ‘treason’, under Article 275 of Russia’s criminal code, with the supposed basis for this being some very modest money transfers (around 1200 UAH, or 24 euros in total) for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. These were sent in August and September 2023.
In the report by the Russian occupation ‘Kherson regional court’ on 11 June 2025, it was claimed that the Ukrainian woman, described as a citizen of the Russian Federation, had committed treason “by providing financial assistance to a foreign state for activities aimed against the security of the Russian Federation.” In another sentence of this extraordinarily cynical indictment, it is asserted that the money was not for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, but for “Ukrainian armed formations”
As is virtually always the case with supposed ‘trials’ before occupation ‘courts’, it is unclear whether there were any actual hearings between when the indictment was passed to ‘the court’ on 30 April 202 and the announcement of sentence on 9 June 2025. For supporting Ukraine’s defenders, ‘Judge’ Svetlana Vasilievna Kurayeva sentenced the then 42-year-old Ukrainian woman to 12 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by a year of restricted liberty. A fine of 100 thousand roubles was also imposed.
This monstrous sentence was upheld on 10 September 2025 by Yelena Nikolaevna Kondakova, a ‘judge’ from the First court of appeal (general jurisdiction).
Olena Penza
Now 54, Olena Penza (b. 28 September 1971) is from occupied Nova Kakhovka. She has a higher education and worked as the branch head of a bank.
There are absolutely no grounds for speaking of a trial since the indictment was passed to the same occupation ‘Kherson regional court’ on 20 June 2025, with the sentence passed the following day. Svetlana Nikolaevna Kurayeva handed down an identical sentence as that against Olha Hulchak, namely 12 years’ medium-security imprisonment, a year of restricted liberty and a 100 thousand rouble fine. This was upheld by ‘judge’ Larisa Sergeevna Izotyeva from the First court of appeal (general jurisdiction) on 8 October 2025.
Essentially only the dates differed, with Olena Penza asserted to have made several transfers, via a mobile app, in January and March 2024.
Yulia Stanika
As reported, 30-year-old Yulia Stanika (B. 26.04.1995) was sentenced by the same occupation ‘court’ on 23 October 2025 to twelve and a half years’ medium-security imprisonment, with a subsequent two-year term of restricted liberty. The sentence was passed by ‘judge’ Airat Fazykhovich Gallyamov, who came to occupied Kherson oblast himself (rather than being brought in) from Kazan in Russia. The appeal against the sentence is still pending.
Stanika is from occupied Hola Prystan and has a legal education. She is married with a daughter who is under 18. She has, nonetheless, been imprisoned since March – April 2025 and will, if Russia is allowed its way, be imprisoned until well after her daughter reaches adulthood.
She was alleged to have made the donations to Ukraine’s defenders from September 2023 to January 2024.
It is chillingly unclear how these donations are discovered. It would be typical of Russia’s FSB to use a fake site as a means of ‘catching’ patriotic Ukrainians, but it is also, unfortunately, possible that providers are reporting their clients. In addition, any Ukrainians who do not hide their pro-Ukrainian sentiments are likely to be targeted and can face ‘checks’, armed searches or ‘arrest’ at any time. It is quite possible also that the lack of clarity as to how such donations are discovered is deliberate, with the invaders wanting Ukrainians to permanently fear surveillance.
See also:
https://khpg.org/en/1608815357
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