December 17, 2025

Convicted for Automatic Payments


Convicted for Automatic Payments
A prison cell. The Russian Life files.

On December 12, Russian courts sentenced two women in Ukraine's partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region to 12.5 and 15 years in prison, respectively, for transferring money to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The women were convicted of treason.

In March 2023, the now-65-year-old Irina Sukhovey, of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, was scrolling through pro-Ukrainian Telegram channels when she saw ads for donations to the Ukrainian army. She set up automatic payments from her bank's app to donate to the armed forces of her country. That same month, Russia occupied her city.

In November 2023, Sukhovey was forced to become a Russian citizen. She began receiving a pension from the Russian government into her Ukrainian bank account. According to prosecutors, the woman was aware that her bank account continued to transfer money to the Ukrainian Armed Forces automatically. A Russian court said the payments continued until November 2024. During the trial, prosecutors pointed out that Sukhovey did not support the occupation of her region by Russian forces. On December 12, the woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison, according to Mediazona.

On the same day Sukhovey was sentenced, the press service of the prosecutor's office of the illegally annexed Crimea confirmed another woman from Melitopol was also convicted of treason. A 55-year-old was sentenced to 12 and a half years for transferring R1400 ($17) to the Ukrainian Army.

The two women are not the only Zaporizhzhians in prison for making payments to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On December 5, 61-year-old Marina Belusova, a Primorsk resident and Russian citizen, was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison for treason. The FSB found transfers from Belusova's Ukrainian bank account to the Ukrainian Army. The retiree expressed regret for the donations.

You Might Also Like

Research under Surveillance
  • December 08, 2025

Research under Surveillance

Starting next year, Russian scientists must request FSB approval before working with foreign colleagues.
Game Over for Roblox?
  • December 11, 2025

Game Over for Roblox?

Russia has banned Roblox, one of the most popular video games in the world. In turn, Russians protested on social media.
Dial-a-Putin
  • December 07, 2025

Dial-a-Putin

Russian citizens are invited to submit questions for 2025's "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin" television program.
Pigeon-Drones are Here
  • December 04, 2025

Pigeon-Drones are Here

A Russian company introduced biodrones: pigeons with chip implants in their brains and surveillance cameras.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955