Russia jails Crimean woman for 17 years over alleged donation of €25 to Ukraine

The Center for Journalism Investigations reported the information.

According to the Crimean Human Rights Group (CHRG), the sentence was issued by "judge" Sergey Pogrebnyak.

Kolesnykova was accused of buying two digital stamps (NFTs) showing a "Russian warship" for 25 euros. Investigators claim the money went to support the Ukrainian military.

Lyudmyla Kolesnikova's story

Lyudmyla Kolesnykova, a native of Crimea, is a trained lawyer. Until 2019, she worked as an investigator for the local Ministry of Internal Affairs. She continued her service after Russia annexed Crimea and received Russian citizenship, although her relatives say she kept her Ukrainian passport, according to Radio Svoboda.

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she moved to Ireland and became a beauty blogger.

In 2024, Russian security forces detained her during a visit to Crimea for her mother’s funeral. She was charged with “state treason” under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Kolesnykova believes her former colleagues reported her because she moved to Europe and showed on her channel that life there was good.

Three months after her arrest, Lyudmyla Kolesnykova’s relatives had no contact with her and didn’t even know if she was alive. Later, a letter from her appeared on the Russian Telegram channel "Nastya and Prison," confirming she was being held in Simferopol Detention Center No. 1 on charges of "state treason."

Her relatives said she was secretly moved between detention centers and torture chambers. By the end of 2024, she had lost significant weight and weighed only 46 kilograms.

Human rights defenders found out she was being held in one of the FSB’s secret prisons in Crimea, used for prisoners of war and civilian hostages from Ukraine.

Before any formal charges, her relatives say she was threatened with charges of espionage and financing the Ukrainian Armed Forces — allegedly because she bought digital stamps with a slogan about a Russian warship. The 25 euros from the purchase were said to have gone to support Ukraine.

• Cases of "terrorism," "state treason," "participation in Ukrainian battalions," "discrediting the Russian army," and "extremism": how persecution and repression continue in occupied Crimea, as journalist Oleksandra Yefimenko reported.