Repression intensifies in Russia: Transfers to Ukraine under watch
Russian citizens live under Putin's regime, and therefore, they face numerous repressions if they do anything that the government sees as treason. Now, this faith met Russian student Andryi Glukhov, who was sentenced to a penal colony for a small bank transfer to Ukraine.
Andrei Glukhov, a student from Volgograd living with cerebral palsy, has been sentenced to 12 years in a high-security penal colony after transferring 1,500 rubles (approximately 25 CAD) to Ukraine on two occasions. Russian authorities deemed the transfers an act of treason, according to the independent outlet Mediazona, citing Rzeczpospolita.
Since the start of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has been closely monitoring all foreign financial transfers, with transactions to Ukraine subject to particularly intense scrutiny.
Russia does not uphold banking secrecy, enabling security services to freely access citizens’ financial transaction data. According to reports, Glukhov stated that he transferred the money in an effort to "speed up peace negotiations" — a gesture that quickly drew the attention of the FSB.
Glukhov’s case is not an isolated incident. In 2024, Moscow resident Nikolai Kolin was sentenced to 14 years in prison for transferring 10,000 rubles to the Russian Volunteer Corps. The growing number of high treason convictions reflects the Kremlin’s escalating crackdown on citizens expressing support for Ukraine. At the same time, independent opinion polls indicate that public backing for the war is at a record low across Russian society.
Russia’s military losses in its invasion of Ukraine are approaching one million personnel, according to the latest estimates from the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Ukrainian losses, by comparison, are estimated at around 400,000.
