Russia sentences Ukrainian reporter abducted in Melitopol to 15 years in prison

Levchenko chose to remain in Melitopol following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the city’s subsequent occupation.

The journalist refused to renounce her Ukrainian citizenship. Occupation prosecutors alleged that she established contact with an individual residing in Ukrainian-controlled territory and agreed to relay intelligence to Ukrainian security services regarding the locations of administrative buildings, occupation officials, and the transit routes of Russian military personnel, equipment, and formations across Zaporizhzhya Oblast.

The sham court further accused Levchenko of transmitting information in February 2023 concerning Russian federal ministries and agencies — specifically within the security and law enforcement sector — including physical addresses and employee rosters. Occupation authorities asserted that she failed to delete these records from her phone, keeping them stored until her arrest by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

The court convicted Levchenko under Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Espionage by a foreign national through the collection, transmission, or retention of information for hostile use against the Russian Armed Forces") and sentenced her to 15 years in a correctional colony.

The Case of Iryna Levchenko and Her Husband

Russian occupation forces abducted Iryna Levchenko and her husband, Oleksandr, in Melitopol on May 6, 2023. The couple decided to remain in their hometown despite the Russian occupation. Levchenko worked as a professional journalist across multiple regional outlets for 41 years, though she had already retired by the time of her arrest.

Initially, Oleksandr reported that Russian forces accused them of "terrorism." He was eventually released in August 2024 after spending one year and four months in Russian captivity. Upon his release from pre-trial detention, occupation authorities handed him paperwork falsely asserting that he had been detained for only 21 days for a "curfew violation."

Occupation authorities refused to release Levchenko, fabricating a criminal case against her instead. Her sister, Olena, earlier disclosed that Iryna was subjected to repeated transfers across various pre-trial detention centers throughout more than three years of unlawful custody.

The final hearing in the fabricated case was scheduled for July 2026. However, occupation authorities abruptly moved the journalist from Krasnodar to occupied Donetsk — even though the proceedings were set to take place in Rostov-on-Don — forcing yet another postponement of the trial.