Ukraine to seek return of 70-year-old woman sentenced in Russia for donating to Armed Forces

Ukraine plans to seek the return of a 70-year-old woman, Svitlana Loi, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in Russia for donating to the Ukrainian military, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. Lubinets stated that the Ombudsman's office monitored the trial and confirmed the sentence imposed on Loi for her donations.

He explained that Loi's alleged guilt consists solely in donating to a Ukrainian military unit while physically present in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. Ukraine intends to send requests to Russia requesting the woman's return, urgent access to visit her, and information about her detention conditions and health status.

The ombudsman emphasized that a request would be prepared and sent to Russia tomorrow. Loi received a Russian passport in 2023 while residing in the occupied town of Tokmak but has not renounced her Ukrainian citizenship. Russia alleges that between January and November 2024, Loi made 24 transfers totaling 63,420 rubles ($685) to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which she conducted via her Ukrainian bank's mobile app.

She was sentenced by an occupation court in Russia to 15 years in prison, accused of "anti-Russian views" and "treason." Loi appealed the ruling, but a court in Moscow reviewed the case recently and upheld the sentence. Prior to the verdict, Loi sang a Ukrainian song, "Ridna Maty Moya," during her trial.