Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner
A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading ‘fake news’ about the army
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Kateryna Fomenko a political prisoner. Fomenko has been convicted on a criminal charge of ‘public dissemination of information known to be false about the use of the Russian armed forces.’ Fomenko’s criminal prosecution violates her rights to freedom of expression and fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Kateryna Fomenko and that all criminal charges against her be dropped.
What were the charges against Kateryna Fomenko?
Kateryna Fomenko, originally from Sevastopol, lived and worked for many years in Kyiv but in 2017 returned to her hometown under Russian occupation for family reasons and subsequently adopted Russian citizenship.
In 2025, she was prosecuted three times under administrative law for comments on social media in which she criticised Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as the Russian authorities and the military.
Subsequently, a criminal case was opened against Fomenko on a charge of ‘publicly disseminating information known to be false about the use of the Russian armed forces, motivated by hatred’ (Article 207.3, Part 2 [e], of the Russian Criminal Code). She was detained in the street by Berkut special forces officers, and on 7 July 2025 a court under Russian control remanded Kateryna Fomenko in custody.
On 11 November 2025, she was sentenced to 5 years, 6 months and 15 days’ imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.
Why do we consider Kateryna Fomenko a political prisoner?
The law on disseminating information known to be false about the use of the Russian army, under which Fomenko is being prosecuted, was introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. This law effectively prohibits the dissemination of any information about the war that differs from the official version, in violation of the civil right to freedom of expression.
This law contradicts both the Russian Constitution and Russia’s international obligations, as well as fundamental principles of law, in particular the principle of legal certainty. A person cannot know in advance what information the authorities may consider false. Still less is it possible to establish whether information was ‘known to be false’ or whether there was intent to disseminate such information. We consider all prosecutions under this law unlawful.
A detailed description of Kateryna Fomenko’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Kateryna Fomenko at the following address:
RU:
295006, Республика Крым, г. Симферополь, б-р Ленина, д. 4, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Республике Крым и г. Севастополю, Фоменко Екатерине Сергеевне, 1986 г. р.
EN:
Kateryna Serhiivna Fomenko (born 1986), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, 4 Lenina Boulevard, Simferopol, Republic of Crimea, 295006, Russia.
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