Ihor Bunin is a political prisoner
A resident of Sevastopol was sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security penal colony for ‘high treason’ after allegedly sharing coordinates of military facilities that are publicly available
Ihor Bunin from Sevastopol was arrested in January 2023 on charges of high treason (Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to the investigation, in November 2022 he sent information about a missile or aircraft flying over Sevastopol to the Telegram chatbot STOP Russian War. Investigators claim that he was subsequently contacted by an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and, over the following week and a half, provided precise coordinates of military units and Russian naval facilities in Sevastopol. It cannot be ruled out that Bunin was in fact communicating with an FSB provocateur. On 7 February 2024, he was sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
The information that Bunin allegedly transmitted does not constitute a state secret and is publicly accessible. The verdict itself lists the exact addresses of the facilities in question, which can easily be found on Google Maps, along with their coordinates. It is unclear from the court’s reasoning how Bunin could have made this information any more complete than it already was.
In any event, in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, all facilities belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defence — particularly those located in occupied Crimea — are legitimate military targets for Ukrainian strikes. The use of precise coordinates could potentially reduce the risk of civilian casualties.
It should also be noted that Bunin, who holds Ukrainian citizenship, was accused of betraying Russia even though he received a Russian passport only after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
A detailed description of Ihor Bunin’s case and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
You can write to Ihor Bunin at the following address:
Ru:
618545, Пермский край, Соликамск, ул. Карналлитовая, д. 98, ФКУ ИК-1 ОУХД ГУФСИН России по Пермскому краю, Бунину Игорю Яковлевичу, 1979 г. р.
En:
Penal Colony No. 1, Main Directorate of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Perm Krai, 98 Karnallitovaya St., Solikamsk, Perm Krai, 618545, Russia, Bunin Ihor Yakovlevych, born 1979.
You can also send emails via the ZT service (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.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
