Russia sentences Ukrainian reporter abducted in Melitopol to 15 years in prison
An occupation court in Zaporizhzhya Oblast sentenced Ukrainian journalist Iryna Levchenko to 15 years in prison on espionage charges, the illegal judicial body announced on Sept. 4.
A Russian occupation court has sentenced Ukrainian journalist Iryna Levchenko to 15 years in prison on espionage charges, announced on September 4. Levchenko had remained in Melitopol following the invasion and Russia's occupation of the city. She refused to renounce her Ukrainian citizenship. The court alleged she communicated with someone in Ukrainian-controlled territory and agreed to provide intelligence on administrative buildings, occupation officials, and Russian military movements in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.
The court also accused her of transmitting information about Russian security and law enforcement agencies, including addresses and employee lists, in February 2023. Levchenko was abducted by Russian forces along with her husband, Oleksandr, in Melitopol on May 6, 2023. Levchenko, a journalist for 41 years, had already retired when arrested.
Initially, her husband was released after a year and four months in captivity, but Levchenko was kept in detention, facing fabricated charges and repeated transfers between pre-trial detention centers over three years. The court moved her trial from Rostov-on-Don to Donetsk, forcing further delays.
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