Russian-controlled “court” in occupied Melitopol sentenced journalist Iryna Levchenko to 15 years in prison

The Russian-controlled “Zaporizhzhia Regional Court” in occupied Melitopol has sentenced journalist and National Union of Journalists of Ukraine member Iryna Levchenko to 15 years in prison on charges of “espionage”, media outlet RIA-Pivden reported.

Iryna Levchenko. Photo: family archive

According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Levchenko remained in Melitopol after the city was occupied and retained her Ukrainian citizenship. The Russian security forces claim that she used Telegram to provide Ukraine with information about the locations of Russian administrative and security agencies and their staff, as well as the movements of Russian troops, military equipment and weapons.

In particular, the FSB alleges that in February 2023 the journalist provided Ukraine with the addresses of Russian agencies and lists of their staff.

Read more: You sit like a potted plant: you may be watered, or you may not, and then you will wither – journalist Dmytro Khyliuk. A story of captivity and freedom

Levchenko’s name was not disclosed in the statement issued by the Russian security service, which referred to her only by the first letter of her surname.

Svitlana Zalizetska, editor-in-chief of RIA-Pivden, said that the news had hit her particularly hard because she knows Iryna personally.

“Ira is almost 65. She is a member of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine. She had already retired by the time the city was occupied. She stayed in her home city of Melitopol and did not renounce her Ukrainian citizenship”, Zalizetska wrote. 

According to Zalizetska, Levchenko smiled as the verdict was handed down.

“Ira, we remember you and are fighting for you, just as we are fighting for Nastia, Zhora, Vlad, Yana and the other captive journalists”, Zalizetska wrote. 

Iryna Levchenko worked as a journalist for the local newspaper Novyi Denі for more than 40 years. She had already retired by the time Melitopol was occupied. She will turn 65 on 16 September 2026. 

ZMINA previously reported that Russian security forces were transporting Iryna Levchenko every ten days from the Donetsk pre-trial detention centre to temporarily occupied Melitopol to undergo investigative procedures. She would then be returned to Donetsk, with the process repeated ten days later. 

ZMINA has also published the story of Levchenko’s unlawful imprisonment in Ukrainian on its website. 

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