Woman receives 15-year sentence for aiding Russian strikes on Zhytomyr Oblast

A Ukrainian court has sentenced a 43-year-old woman to 15 years in prison for aiding Russian military operations and attempting to flee to Russia.

The woman, originally from Donetsk, relocated to Kyiv and later rented an apartment in Zhytomyr Oblast after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

According to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), the woman made contact with Russia's defense intelligence agency (GRU) via social media, offering to serve as an informant. She also used her personal account on the banned Odnoklasniki platform to praise Wagner Group militants and justify their crimes.

Once recruited by the GRU, the woman was assigned an operational alias and given instructions to gather intelligence on Ukrainian military infrastructure, specifically the locations of repair bases for heavy weapons. She transferred the information to her Russian handlers via encrypted messenger chats and email.

Authorities arrested the woman in August 2023 while she was preparing to flee to Russia. The SBU uncovered plans for her to be "evacuated" through third countries by the GRU.

The court convicted her of treason during martial law and for justifying Russian aggression while glorifying its participants.

SBU exposes corruption scheme by two Ukrainian army logistics officers

The scheme is believed to have defrauded the state of Hr 27.3 million ($662,000), which was funneled through a network of shell companies. If convicted, the accused face up to six years in prison.

The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova