13 Years in Prison for a Donation Supporting the Ukrainian Army

Svitlana Denisenko, a 38-year-old resident of the Russian city of Krasnodar, will spend the next 13 years behind bars. Her “crime”? She did not wield a weapon, nor did she stand on the battlefield. In February 2022, at the very beginning of Russia’s invasion, she found fundraising details online and donated 100,000 rubles (approximately €1,100 at the time) to the Ukrainian army.

Although it was merely an electronic transfer, a Russian court followed the unforgiving logic of the repressive system and imposed a draconian sentence. Yet this case is more than just another statistic in court records; it is the story of a conscious decision that went far beyond financial assistance.

At that moment, and from within Russia’s borders, the donation was not made blindly. Svitlana understood the risks. She knew the real and devastating consequences that would follow if her support were discovered. And yet, she did not back down.

That is why this is more than a legal proceeding — it is an act of pure defiance. In an environment where every move is monitored and every critical thought is punished, her decision speaks to an unwavering personal conviction. The cost of that choice is unimaginable: Svitlana will pay with the best years of her life for the freedom of conscience that the state could not break.