Russian sentenced to 13 years for 50-euro Ukraine donation

A Russian court has sentenced a man to 13 years in prison on "treason" charges, after he was reported to have donated 50 euros ($54) to Ukraine's army.

The Moscow City Court said Friday it had found Alexander Kraychik guilty of "high treason" saying he provided "financial assistance to a foreign state (to support) activities against the security of the Russian Federation."

Russia has opened dozens of "treason" cases against individuals it says have acted to support Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale military offensive in February 2022.

The allegations range from arson or sabotage on Russian military facilities and infrastructure sites to providing information on Russian army installations or sending funds to groups supporting Kyiv.

State media and rights groups reported Kraychik had transferred 50 euros on 26 February 2022 -- two days after Russia launched its offensive -- to a German-based fund raising money to support Ukraine's army.

He was arrested in 2023 while attempting to leave Russia on a flight to Turkey after FSB officers had days earlier confiscated his phone during a search at his work, the Memorial rights group reported.

The sentence of 13 years was handed down on 1 November, but only announced by the court on Friday.

The court said Kraychik, who Memorial said was 34 years old, was "motivated by political and ideological hatred."

The case echoes that of US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, also on "treason charges", for donating $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity at the start of the conflict.

Karelina, who lives in the US, was arrested in January 2024 while visiting family in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg.