On 29 July 2026, the Moscow City Court sentenced journalist Darya Shipacheva to 12 years in prison in a treason case, according to reporting by MediaZona.
According to T-Invariant sources cited by Radio Svoboda, the case was reportedly triggered by a money transfer to Ukraine, where Shipacheva was born and where many of her relatives live. Friends of the journalist said the money had been sent to a civilian.
Shipacheva was detained on 23 April 2025 in her apartment in Moscow. MediaZona, citing the journalist’s friends, reported that security forces broke into her home at night, after which she stopped communicating. She was first placed in a pre-trial detention centre in Rostov-on-Don and was later transferred to Moscow’s Lefortovo detention centre. Shipacheva’s arrest was not disclosed at the time.
Shortly before her detention, the journalist had reportedly received threats, allegedly from supporters of Russia’s banned “Male State” male chauvinist movement, and had faced online harassment over her feminist statements.
After being charged, Shipacheva agreed to a plea deal with investigators. Shipacheva, 35, specialised in science and medical journalism, as well as social issues.