Latest news with #ArmyofBeauties


Toronto Star
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Russian activist who helped Ukrainian refugees jailed for 22 years
A Russian activist who helped Ukrainians flee Moscow's invasion has been sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of treason and financing terrorism, her lawyer and Russian media said Friday. Nadezhda Rossinskaya, who also goes by the name Nadin Geisler, ran a volunteer group called 'Army of Beauties,' which claims to have helped evacuate thousands of people from Russian-occupied territory — numbers that could not be independently verified.

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russian activist who helped Ukrainian refugees jailed for 22 years
A Russian activist who helped Ukrainians flee Moscow's invasion has been sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of treason and financing terrorism, her lawyer and Russian media said Friday. Nadezhda Rossinskaya, who also goes by the name Nadin Geisler, ran a volunteer group called 'Army of Beauties," which claims to have helped evacuate thousands of people from Russian-occupied territory — numbers that could not be independently verified. Some made their way to free Ukraine through Russia's southwestern Belgorod region, where the last open checkpoint between the two countries was located, the group says. Fearing for her safety, Rossinskaya left Russia for Georgia in 2023, but decided to return to Belgorod months later to coordinate a complex evacuation, independent Russian news outlets reported. She was detained in February 2024 over an Instagram post calling for donations to Ukrainian forces, and was later charged with treason and financing terrorism, according to Russian court documents and her lawyer Alexey Pryanishnikov. Rossinskaya denied any wrongdoing, and her lawyer said she did not write or publish the post, according to a trial transcript compiled by Russian independent outlet Mediazona. Prosecutors had requested an unusually harsh prison sentence of 27 years for Rossinskaya, who stood trial at a military court in Belgorod. According to Mediazona, Rossinskaya responded by asking the court to jail her for 27 years and one day if found guilty, so that her prison term could be the longest modern Russia has ever handed to a woman. Darya Trepova, jailed for delivering a bomb in 2023 that killed a pro-war blogger in St Petersburg, is currently serving a 27-year sentence. Last September, Rossinskaya was added to Russia's register of 'extremists and terrorists', alongside many individuals and groups who have publicly criticized the war, tried to raise money for Ukraine or help those affected by the fighting. Criminal cases linked to treason, espionage and cooperation with a foreign state have risen drastically since Russia's full-scale invasion, a Russian lawyers' association has reported. According to Pervy Otdel, at least 792 people went on trial on related charges between Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and late December 2024. Over 530 were convicted.


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Russian activist who helped Ukrainian refugees jailed for 22 years
A Russian activist who helped Ukrainians flee Moscow's invasion has been sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of treason and financing terrorism, her lawyer and Russian media said Friday. Nadezhda Rossinskaya, who also goes by the name Nadin Geisler, ran a volunteer group called 'Army of Beauties,' which claims to have helped evacuate thousands of people from Russian-occupied territory — numbers that could not be independently verified. Some made their way to free Ukraine through Russia's southwestern Belgorod region, where the last open checkpoint between the two countries was located, the group says. Fearing for her safety, Rossinskaya left Russia for Georgia in 2023, but decided to return to Belgorod months later to coordinate a complex evacuation, independent Russian news outlets reported. She was detained in February 2024 over an Instagram post calling for donations to Ukrainian forces, and was later charged with treason and financing terrorism, according to Russian court documents and her lawyer Alexey Pryanishnikov. Rossinskaya denied any wrongdoing, and her lawyer said she did not write or publish the post, according to a trial transcript compiled by Russian independent outlet Mediazona. Prosecutors had requested an unusually harsh prison sentence of 27 years for Rossinskaya, who stood trial at a military court in Belgorod. According to Mediazona, Rossinskaya responded by asking the court to jail her for 27 years and one day if found guilty, so that her prison term could be the longest modern Russia has ever handed to a woman. Darya Trepova, jailed for delivering a bomb in 2023 that killed a pro-war blogger in St Petersburg, is currently serving a 27-year sentence. Last September, Rossinskaya was added to Russia's register of 'extremists and terrorists', alongside many individuals and groups who have publicly criticized the war, tried to raise money for Ukraine or help those affected by the fighting. Criminal cases linked to treason, espionage and cooperation with a foreign state have risen drastically since Russia's full-scale invasion, a Russian lawyers' association has reported. According to Pervy Otdel, at least 792 people went on trial on related charges between Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and late December 2024. Over 530 were convicted.


The Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Russia sentences activist who helped Ukrainians flee war to 22 years in prison
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.


The Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
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.