Volgograd Student Sentenced to 12 Years for Supporting Peace in Ukraine with Small Donation

A court in Volgograd, a city located in southern Russia, has sentenced a university student to 12 years in a high-security penal facility for sending a minimal financial transfer to Ukraine, as reported by the exiled news organization Mediazona on Tuesday.

Andrei Glukhov, a 21-year-old student at Volgograd Polytechnic College who has cerebral palsy, was found guilty of treason on May 29 after a trial that lasted a month, according to the court’s press service as cited by Mediazona.

Eduard Glukhov, Andrei’s father, informed Mediazona that his son had publicly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Following the outbreak of the war, Andrei connected with someone online claiming to be a Ukrainian national, who was reportedly gathering signatures to support peace talks.

After receiving a Ukrainian bank account number from this individual, Glukhov allegedly made two small transfers of 1,500 rubles each (approximately $17 at the time), as stated by his father.

In September 2024, security forces searched the apartment that Andrei shared with his mother, confiscating his computer equipment. Although he was initially released after questioning by the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia, he was detained again and charged one month later.

«My ex-wife called me and said, ‘That’s it, Andrei has been placed in solitary confinement,’” Eduard Glukhov recounted to Mediazona.

His father noted that Andrei admitted his guilt and cooperated with the authorities during the investigation.

Due to his disability, Glukhov has limited mobility in his right limb and leg.

Since the onset of the war, Russia has imposed severe prison sentences on several citizens for making minor financial transfers to Ukraine.

In the summer of 2024, a military court sentenced Nikolai Kolin, a resident of Moscow, to 14 years in prison for donating 10,000 rubles (around $110) to the Russian Volunteer Corps, a paramilitary group allied with Ukraine.

Additionally, that summer, Ksenia Karelina, a U.S.-Russian citizen, received a 12-year prison sentence for allegedly contributing approximately $50 to a pro-Ukrainian charity. She was released in April as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.