A resident of Volnovakha has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for high treason by a court in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Russian state news agency TASS reported that the woman passed details regarding the location of Russian military forces and local administrative buildings in the district to Ukrainian intelligence officers.
According to the news agency, she also collected and transmitted data on local residents and representatives of youth organisations to her handlers. Russian officials said the information was intended to assist Ukrainian services in drawing those individuals into illegal activities.
The court convicted her under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which governs state treason. She was sentenced to serve her 12-year term in a general regime penal colony.
Background on the conviction
Volnovakha is a district center located in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, positioned southwest of the regional capital. Control of the town was established by Russian forces and allied troops during military operations in early 2022.
Article 275 of the Russian criminal code addresses treasonous acts, including espionage, passing state secrets to foreign entities, or providing assistance to foreign organisations engaged in activities hostile to Russian state security. Sentences under this statute routinely range between 12 and 20 years in custody.
General regime penal colonies are standard correctional institutions within the Russian prison system, where prisoners reside in dormitory-style barracks and adhere to scheduled daily work regimens.
State news agency TASS, which reported the court verdict, is one of Russia's primary state-owned news organisations based in Moscow. Russian law enforcement agencies regularly announce treason convictions and espionage investigations through official media channels.
The ruling follows another recent legal proceeding in the region, where authorities previously reported that a Russian man would face trial after retrieving an explosive device from a hidden cache.
