Moscow man gets 13 years for £45 transfer to Ukraine fund

According to information provided by Mediazona, Krajczyk's verdict was issued on 1st November. The Federal Security Service (FSB) determined that on 26th February 2022, just two days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the man transferred £45 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 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 criticising Kremlin policy or assisting with 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 £42 on her phone for one of the Ukrainian organizations.