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

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

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.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

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...

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

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.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, 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