Moscow court hands 13‑year sentence for $55 Ukraine donation

According to information provided by the independent portal Mediazona, Krajczyk's verdict was issued on November 1. The Federal Security Service (FSB) determined that on February 26, 2022, just two days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the man transferred $55 to an account at Deutsche Bundesbank, where funds were being collected to support the Ukrainian armed forces.

FSB officers appeared at Krajczyk's workplace in April of last year and confiscated his phone. Soon after, he was detained at Moscow's Vnukovo airport when he tried to fly to Istanbul.

Aleksander Krajczyk was charged with treason and sentenced to 13 years in a high-security penal colony. The human rights organization Memorial emphasizes that the verdict is a result of severe repressions against Russian citizens who express support for Ukraine.

Krajczyk's case is part of a broader context of Russian authorities' increasing actions against those criticizing Kremlin policy or assisting the Ukrainian side. Since the beginning of the conflict, numerous arrests and harsh sentences for war opponents have been recorded.

In August, there was much talk about Ksenia Karelin, a 33-year-old Los Angeles resident, who was detained in Russia when she visited relatives. A court in Yekaterinburg in the Urals sentenced the 33-year-old to 12 years in a penal colony, as Russian services allegedly discovered a transfer of just under $52 on her phone for one of the Ukrainian organizations.