Russian court sentenced occupied Melitopol resident to six years over Telegram comments
The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, has sentenced a resident of occupied Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia Region (Oblast) to six years in a general-regime penal colony over comments posted on Telegram, the media outlet RIA-Pivden reported.
Russia’s Southern District Military CourtThe Russian court found the 64-year-old woman guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code – “public calls for terrorist activity” made online – and Part 2 of Article 280 – “public calls for extremist activity”.
According to Russian investigators, the woman posted comments in a public Telegram channel in April and June 2024. They claim that she called for violence against Russian citizens and expressed approval of terrorist activities. Russian security agencies have not published the comments for which she was prosecuted, and her name has not been disclosed. A linguistic examination was conducted as part of the case.
News of the woman’s prosecution emerged in June 2026, when the occupation branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that it had completed the investigation and referred the case to court. Investigators allege that she posted comments over the course of a year, from April 2024 to April 2025.
The posts appeared in a public Telegram channel with more than 46,000 subscribers, according to the occupation authorities. The woman remained in custody until she was sentenced. Russian security officials also claimed that she had fully admitted her guilt during the pre-trial investigation.
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ZMINA previously reported that Russian security officials in occupied Melitopol had referred the case of a 43-year-old resident of Kherson Oblast to an occupation “court” over a comment posted on Telegram.
Russian security officials in Melitopol are also prosecuting a 38-year-old local man for alleged “public calls online for activities against Russia’s security” over a comment he posted four years ago.
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