Elderly Ukrainian Woman Jailed for 15 Years by Russian Occupying Authorities for Donating to Ukrainian Armed Forces

Svitlana Loi, a 69-year-old pensioner from the Russian-occupied city of Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has been sentenced to 15 years in a general-regime penal colony by the so-called ‘Zaporizhzhia Oblast Court’, an institution established by the Russian occupying authorities. She will also face a further one-year period of restricted freedom following her release.

According to the court, Svitlana Loi acquired Russian citizenship in December 2023 but did not renounce her Ukrainian citizenship and continued to receive her Ukrainian pension. Between January and November 2024, she made 24 transfers totalling 27,530 Ukrainian hryvnias to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces via her Ukrainian bank account.

The prosecution asserts that the funds were used to purchase military equipment, weapons, and related supplies. The account details were reportedly obtained through pro-Ukrainian social networks and messaging platforms.

Svitlana Loi was charged under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code with high treason, specifically ‘providing financial assistance to a foreign state and engaging in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation’.

‘According to the investigation, between January and November 2024, the woman, holding anti-Russian views, is alleged to have systematically and deliberately provided financial assistance to a foreign state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation. Using a mobile banking application, the accused is reported to have made 24 transfers totalling 27,530 hryvnias (Editorial note: ≈ ₽50,000 / €537 at current rates) to accounts identified as supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The account details were obtained via pro-Ukrainian social networks and messaging platforms. The funds were directed towards the purchase of military equipment, armaments and related supplies.’ — Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor’s Office

When announcing the transfer of this case to court in December 2025, the Zaporizhzhia Regional Prosecutor’s Office published a photograph of one of the transfers — a payment of 1,500 hryvnias to the ‘Come Back Alive’ fund.

This case is one of several reported by Russian authorities targeting civilians in occupied areas of Ukraine accused of providing financial or material support to their country’s armed forces. It highlights a broader pattern of judicial persecution and the use of criminal law to punish acts of loyalty to Ukraine in territories under Russian control.