Moscow Court Sentences Journalist Darya Shipachyova to 12 Years for Sending Money to Ukraine

A Moscow court on Tuesday sentenced journalist Darya Shipachyova to 12 years in prison after convicting her of treason in a case that independent Russian media described as rooted in her transfers of money to Ukraine. The verdict, reported by Mediazona and other outlets, marks the latest in a series of high-profile prosecutions that rights groups say are part of a widening campaign to criminalize contacts with Ukraine and to intimidate journalists and civil society.

According to reporting by T-invariant, investigators focused on payment transfers Shipachyova made to Ukraine, the country of her birth and where many of her relatives live. Friends and acquaintances cited by T-invariant said the journalist sent money to a private civilian recipient. After charges were brought, sources say Shipachyova agreed to cooperate with the investigation. The Moscow City Court conducted the trial over roughly an hour and a half before issuing the sentence.

Shipachyova, 35, is known for work in science and medical journalism and coverage of social issues. She was detained at her Moscow apartment on April 23, 2025, after what friends described to Mediazona as a night-time raid by OMON riot police. Authorities initially moved her to a pre-trial detention facility in Rostov and later transferred her to the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow, a facility long associated with political and state-security cases.

Friends told the independent outlets Nastoyaşşeye Vremya and T-invariant that Shipachyova had faced threats shortly before her arrest, apparently originating from supporters of the banned group "Mujskoye Qosudarstvo" (Men's State). They also said she had been the target of online harassment for her feminist views. Those accounts suggest a campaign of both online intimidation and formal legal pressure leading up to her detention.

Observers say the case reflects a broader pattern of prosecutions under Russia's treason, espionage and cooperation-with-a-foreign-state statutes since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Reporting by Vyorstka cites official and open-source data indicating that at least 1,904 criminal cases have been opened under these charges since the war began. In the first half of 2026 alone, 312 people were convicted under these articles — 43 more than in the same period a year earlier — a figure Vyorstka describes as a new record.

The outlet's analysis also highlights that only a small minority of defendants in these cases — around 4 percent — had access to classified state secrets, while roughly one-third were ordinary civilians with no apparent link to state intelligence. Rights groups and legal experts say those statistics point to a widening net that is ensnaring journalists, activists and private citizens for acts such as sending funds, maintaining contacts with family in Ukraine, or expressing dissenting opinions online.

Human-rights advocates warn that prosecutions like Shipachyova's have a chilling effect on independent reporting and on basic acts of humanitarian assistance or family support across the Russia–Ukraine border. The conviction of a journalist on treason charges for sending money to a civilian in Ukraine raises questions about the scope of the state's security laws and the ability of journalists to carry out work involving sources, reporting on social issues or helping relatives abroad without risking politically charged criminal cases.

Shipachyova's sentence adds to concerns among press freedom organizations about the shrinking space for independent media in Russia. International and domestic rights groups have repeatedly criticized the use of broad national-security statutes to silence dissent and to punish journalists. The case will likely be cited in ongoing debates about legal protections for journalists and the treatment of civilians accused under draconian security laws in the Russian Federation.