{"id":60851,"date":"2025-09-04T16:06:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-04T13:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnoj-ekaterinu-fomenko\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T10:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T07:12:34","slug":"kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/","title":{"rendered":"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project, in accordance with<\/strong> <\/strong>international standards<\/strong><\/a>, considers Kateryna Fomenko a political prisoner. Fomenko has been convicted on a criminal charge of \u2018public dissemination of information known to be false about the use of the Russian armed forces.\u2019 Fomenko\u2019s 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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What were the charges against Kateryna Fomenko?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2025, she was prosecuted three times under administrative law for comments on social media in which she criticised Russia\u2019s aggression against Ukraine, as well as the Russian authorities and the military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsequently, a criminal case was opened against Fomenko on a charge of \u2018publicly disseminating information known to be false about the use of the Russian armed forces, motivated by hatred\u2019 (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 11 November 2025, she was sentenced to 5 years, 6 months and 15 days\u2019 imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we consider Kateryna Fomenko a political prisoner?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This law contradicts both the Russian Constitution and Russia\u2019s 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 \u2018known to be false\u2019 or whether there was intent to disseminate such information. We consider all prosecutions under this law unlawful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A detailed description of Kateryna Fomenko\u2019s case and of our position is available on our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can write to Kateryna Fomenko at the following address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RU:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

295006, \u0420\u0435\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0430 \u041a\u0440\u044b\u043c, \u0433. \u0421\u0438\u043c\u0444\u0435\u0440\u043e\u043f\u043e\u043b\u044c, \u0431-\u0440 \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430, \u0434. 4, \u0424\u041a\u0423 \u0421\u0418\u0417\u041e-1 \u0423\u0424\u0421\u0418\u041d \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u0420\u0435\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0435 \u041a\u0440\u044b\u043c \u0438 \u0433. \u0421\u0435\u0432\u0430\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043f\u043e\u043b\u044e, \u0424\u043e\u043c\u0435\u043d\u043a\u043e \u0415\u043a\u0430\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0435 \u0421\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0435\u0435\u0432\u043d\u0435, 1986 \u0433. \u0440.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EN:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We respect Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity. However, to ensure that letters reach their addressees in the occupied territories, addresses must be written according to Russian postal rules.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also send emails via ZT<\/a> (for payment with all bank cards) and Memorial-France<\/a> (free of charge).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can donate<\/a> to help all political prisoners in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-60851","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","regions-crimea","news-type-nashi-novosti-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Political prisoners support. Memorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T07:12:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/\",\"name\":\"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-04T13:06:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-18T07:12:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u041d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/\",\"name\":\"\u041f\u043e\u0434\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u043a\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447\u0451\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0445. \u041c\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0430\u043b\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial","description":"A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial","og_description":"A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army","og_url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/","og_site_name":"Political prisoners support. Memorial","article_modified_time":"2026-06-18T07:12:34+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/","url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/","name":"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-09-04T13:06:29+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-18T07:12:34+00:00","description":"A resident of Sevastopol has been sentenced to five and a half years of imprisonment on a charge of spreading \u2018fake news\u2019 about the army","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/kateryna-fomenko-is-a-political-prisoner\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430","item":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u041d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438","item":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Kateryna Fomenko is a political prisoner"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/","name":"\u041f\u043e\u0434\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u043a\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447\u0451\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0445. \u041c\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0430\u043b","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/60851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}