A Russian military court has sentenced a teacher to 20 years on “high treason” charges for sending money to Ukraine. The teacher, Daniil Kliuka, claims he was reported to authorities by his colleagues.
Since launching its military campaign against Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has intensified its crackdown on dissent, with thousands jailed or fined for alleged support of Ukraine.
According to a spokesperson quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency, Kliuka, 27, will serve five years in prison and an additional 15 years in a “strict-regime penal colony.” The court’s website stated the verdict was delivered on Wednesday, accusing Kliuka of “high treason” and “support for terrorist activities.”
Russian media group RBK reported that Kliuka allegedly transferred cryptocurrency worth between 20,000 and 100,000 rubles ($229 to $1,146) to a Ukrainian fund, “Come Back Alive,” which supports the Ukrainian army. The indictment also claimed he intended to send money to Ukraine’s Azov regiment, classified as a terrorist organization by Russia.
During the trial, Kliuka pleaded guilty. He was arrested in February 2023 in the Lipetsk region, south of Moscow, according to Russian media.
In a letter published in July by the Telegram group Politzek-Info, Kliuka described how he was reported after drawing horns, beards, and moustaches on figures in a pro-Kremlin newspaper. He said these sketches were meant as a joke or a form of expression, but his colleagues reported him, leading to his dismissal and subsequent arrest.
Kliuka explained that the money transfers found on his phone were intended for relatives in Ukraine’s occupied Lugansk region, and that he was coerced into confessing they were meant to finance the Azov regiment.
