Espreso. Global

Ukrainian man sentenced to 11 years in Russia for looking for his mother in occupied village

30 January, 2025 Thursday
13:35

St. Petersburg City Court in Russia sentenced 29-year-old Ukrainian Ivan Zabavskyi to 11 years in a high-security prison, accusing him of espionage

client/title.list_title

Russian outlet Mediazona reported the information.

Ivan Zabavskyi lived in Kharkiv, while his mother, Marina Zabavska, remained in the village of Tavolzhanka in the Kharkiv region after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In September 2022, Marina's sister was killed in a Russian attack. As Russian troops neared the village, Marina decided to flee to Russia. With no communication available in Tavolzhanka, Ivan was unable to contact his mother, prompting him to travel to the village as a driver delivering humanitarian aid.

Since then, he disappeared, and the village came under Russian occupation. Neighbors told Marina Zabavska that they saw Russian soldiers taking her son away.

Only in May 2023 did the Russian Ministry of Defense respond to Zabavska, stating that her son was in Russia and had been detained "for opposing the special military operation." According to Mediazona, this phrasing is often seen in correspondence between Russian military and the relatives of Ukrainian civilian hostages.

In the summer of 2024, the court began hearing Zabavskyi's case under the espionage charge. The trial was held in closed session, and the details of the accusations remain unknown. In closing arguments, the prosecutor requested a 13-year prison sentence for the Ukrainian.

  • The so-called Supreme Court of the Donetsk People’s Republic "sentenced" Georgian Nikolos Berianidze, who fought in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to life imprisonment.
Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2025, Monday
10 February
13:07
Russian forces launch overnight strike on Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, causing casualities
12:50
OPINION
More Ukraine presence needed in U.S.
12:28
F-16 with JASSM-ER, illustrative photo
'Crucial for countering missiles, drones': NATO praises F-16 effectiveness in Ukraine
12:11
Exclusive
Ukraine's Kostiantynivka becomes new focal point for Russian forces — military expert Zgurets
11:49
99 clashes at front on Feb. 9: Ukrainian forces repel 33 Russian attacks in Pokrovsk sector
11:30
Exclusive
Russian army lacks strong reserves in Pokrovsk sector — Ukrainian officer
11:12
Three key factors critical to stabilizing Russian-Ukrainian front — Ukraine’s top general
10:55
Russia can’t ignore heavy losses in Ukraine much longer — NATO military chief
10:37
Ukrainian forces destroy Russian troops trying to raise flags in Toretsk, Donetsk region
10:16
Russia launches overnight drone attack on Ukraine, hitting residential area in Sumy
09:54
Russia’s Krasnodar region reports drone attack: Afipsky oil refinery likely targeted
09:35
Russia loses over 850,000 soldiers in Ukraine since start of invasion
2025, Sunday
9 February
21:30
Drone Line: Ukraine's new large-scale military initiative
21:00
Zelenskyy: Russia pushes for elections in Ukraine to install puppet president
20:30
Zelenskyy: Putin plans to move on Poland, Hungary, Baltics after Ukraine
20:00
Invisible, cheap, and dangerous: Why Russians want to copy Ukraine's Chaklun drone
19:30
Why Hungary will supply Russian gas to Transnistria
19:00
Zelenskyy predicts Ukraine will recover Russian-occupied regions
18:30
Russian forces destroy gas facility in Kharkiv region
18:00
Germany spots suspicious drones over training base
17:35
Partisans identify Russian oil depot in Smolensk region
17:05
"Death to Ukrainians": The Day Muravyov’s army stormed Kyiv
16:35
Higher education and homes: Zelenskyy unveils military recruitment benefits for young men
16:05
Russia deploys Italmas drone – how dangerous is it?
15:35
16-hour battle: Ukraine's 47th brigade repels Russian, North Korean attacks in Kursk region
15:05
Russian tanker carrying 130,000 tons of fuel oil sinks in Leningrad region
14:37
North Korea uses Ukraine war to test military potential, experts say
13:40
Prince Harry honors Ukrainian heroes at Invictus Games 2025 opening
13:17
Exclusive
Russia can't keep advancing: It is running out of reserves
12:30
Russian spy ship ablaze near Syria, but how did it get there? – Defense Express
12:30
Exclusive
War will last years, until Russia's economy is exhausted: What Trump might ask Putin
12:00
Exclusive
Trump compares Ukraine to Gaza: Will he suggest resettling Ukrainians at his meeting with Zelenskyy?
11:30
How Ukrainian Air Defense and drone operators take down Russian military aircraf
11:00
Nuclear plant region in Western Ukraine hit by large-scale Russian attack
10:35
Russia loses aircraft, 24 artillery systems, 1,460 soldiers in one day in Ukraine – General Staff
2025, Saturday
8 February
20:00
Review
AIM-120 missiles: how Ukraine’s F-16s, NASAMS counter air, missile threats
19:40
Debate on peacekeepers in Ukraine are “inappropriate and premature”, says Scholz
19:26
Russia's artillery superiority decreased fivefold over past year - Ukraine’s top general
19:05
Putin expands Russian army for war, and not just against Ukraine — Zelenskyy
18:55
Updated
Ukrainian forces shoot down Russian Su-25 in Donetsk region
More news