Russian activist sentenced to 22 years for aiding Ukraine
LONDON: A Russian activist who helped collect humanitarian aid for Ukraine and evacuate Ukrainians from the war zone was sentenced on Friday to 22 years in prison by a Moscow military court, the RIA state news agency reported.
Nadezhda Rossinskaya, also known as Nadin Geisler, ran a group called 'Army of Beauties', which said it had assisted some 25,000 people in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine in 2022-23, according to a report last year in The Moscow Times.
Authorities arrested Geisler in February 2024 and later charged her with treason and aiding terrorist activities over a post they said she made on Instagram calling for donations to Ukraine's Azov Battalion.
Geisler denied any wrongdoing, and her lawyer said she was not the author of the post, according to a trial transcript compiled by Mediazona, an independent Russian outlet.
Prosecutors had requested 27 years for Geisler, who is in her late 20s. Mediazona reported that she had asked the court to imprison her for 27 years and one day, so that her prison term could surpass that of Darya Trepova, a Russian woman jailed for delivering a bomb that killed a pro-war blogger in 2023.
Trepova's sentence, handed down last year, was the longest given to any woman in modern Russian history.
Prosecutions for terrorism, espionage and cooperation with a foreign state have risen sharply in Russia since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine over three years ago.
Pervy Otdel, a Russian lawyers' association, says 359 people were convicted of such crimes in 2024.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
27 minutes ago
- The Star
Putin says Russia plans to deepen military-technical ties with 'friendly countries'
Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia intends to develop military and technical cooperation with "friendly countries" with whom Moscow wants to jointly produce arms and train military personnel. In a speech at Russia's showcase economic forum in St Petersburg, Putin said Moscow also planned to modernise its own armed forces and their bases by equipping them with the latest weapons and technology. "We will harness new technology to improve the combat capabilities of the Russian armed forces, modernise military infrastructure facilities, (and) equip them with the latest technology and weapons and equipment," he said. "At the same time, we intend to develop military-technical co-operation with friendly countries. And we are talking not only about supplies or the modernisation of equipment and weapons, but also about joint development, personnel training, and the creation of turn-key enterprises and production facilities," he said. Talking about global trade, Putin said Russia planned to develop trade ties with its partners by removing barriers, opening up market niches and deepening investment cooperation. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb StolyarovEditing by Andrew Osborn )
Barnama
an hour ago
- Barnama
TASS Elected Oana Chair For Next Three Years
ST. PETERSBURG, June 20 (Bernama-TASS) -- Russian state news agency TASS has been unanimously elected as chair of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) until 2028. The decision was made during the plenary meeting of the 19th OANA General Assembly held in St. Petersburg, TASS news agency reported. TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov was also elected president of OANA for the duration of the chairmanship, while TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman will serve as the organisation's secretary-general.
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Indonesia expects to sign free trade deal with Russia-led union this year, minister says
JAKARTA: Indonesia expects to sign a free trade agreement with the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) this year in a move likely to boost demand for its commodity exports, its senior economic minister said in a statement released on Friday. Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the agreement would open up new opportunities for commodities including crude palm oil, coffee and natural rubber. Both parties announced on Thursday they had completed substantive talks for the agreement. 'I hope both parties can immediately follow this up by completing all the necessary stages of the process so that this agreement can be signed this year,' Airlangga said. As of March, the value of trade between Indonesia and the EAEU stood at $1.6 billion, 85% more than the same period last year, Indonesia's coordinating ministry for economic affairs said. The EAEU is already one of Indonesia's biggest palm oil buyers, with imports valued at $544.64 million in 2023. The EAEU's main exports to the Southeast Asian nation include fertilisers and ferro-alloys. The completion of Indonesia-EAEU FTA talks was announced on Thursday during President Prabowo Subianto's visit to Russia this week for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The EAEU has five members: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
