Aleksandr Vechirko is a political prisoner
A lieutenant colonel in reserve from Khabarovsk Krai has been sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for transferring money to his daughter in Ukraine
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Aleksandr Vechirko a political prisoner. Vechirko was convicted of treason for making a number of cryptocurrency transfers. Vechirko’s criminal prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Aleksandr Vechirko and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Aleksandr Vechirko?
Aleksandr Vechirko, a native of Ukraine, a lieutenant colonel in reserve and employee of the Daltransugol company, was detained in May 2023. The FSB accused him of making several cryptocurrency transfers to ‘third parties’ in Ukraine in 2022, which were intended for a Ukrainian fund that makes purchases for the needs of the Ukrainian armed forces. Vechirko was charged with ‘treason in the form of providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation’ (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
According to another political prisoner, Sergei Irin, who was held in the Lefortovo detention centre at the same time as Vechirko, Vechirko sent his daughter 600 roubles and ‘vaguely said on the phone to use it for something beneficial’ after ‘a Russian rocket had hit a house in Vinnytsia (Ukraine) where his daughter lived and almost killed her.’
On 10 March 2025, Vechirko was found guilty and sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 roubles.
Why do we consider Aleksandr Vechirko a political prisoner?
According to the investigative authorities, the transfers on which the prosecution was based were in cryptocurrency and were made through an intermediary. Without access to the case files, we do not know how the investigative authorities proved the fact of the transfer of funds or that the transfer was intended specifically to support the Ukrainian armed forces. However, even if Vechirko had intentionally transferred funds to support the Ukrainian armed forces, his actions would not have constituted a crime.
From the point of view of international law, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is illegal and criminal. In this context, money transfers to the Ukrainian armed forces cannot be considered a crime. Assistance to Ukraine is aimed at repelling military aggression, not at causing harm to Russia’s security. Russia’s security is threatened by the war the Russian authorities have unleashed.
According to the information provided by Sergei Irin, Vechirko transferred money to his daughter after a Russian missile hit her house in Vinnytsia, which only emphasizes the legitimacy of his actions.
A transfer of 600 roubles, or even several transfers of similar amounts, could not cause significant harm to the security of the Russian Federation, even if that had been the intention. In fact, given the negligible size of the sum involved, Vechirko’s action is not a crime and poses no significant danger to the public.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the FSB began actively to initiate prosecutions on charges of ‘treason in the form of providing financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation.’ The aim of these prosecutions has been to intimidate all those Russian citizens who oppose the war and sympathize with Ukraine.
A detailed description of Aleksandr Vechirko’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Aleksandr Vechirko at the following address:
RU:
453256, Республика Башкортостан, г. Салават, Станция Южная, ФКУ ИК-2 ГУФСИН России по Республике Башкортостан, Вечирко Александр Анатольевич, 1968 г. р.
EN:
Aleksandr Anatolyevich Vechirko (born 1968), Penal Colony No. 2, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Bashkortostan, Yuzhnaya Station, Salavat, Republic of Bashkortostan, 453256, Russia.
You can also send emails via ZT (for payment with all bank cards) and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
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