The FSB accused a 21-year-old resident of Chita of treason

FSB officers charged a resident of Chita with treason, who allegedly handed over to a representative of the State Border Service of Ukraine photos and video recordings of military echelons on the railway.

Today, the Trans-Baikal Regional Court left her in custody, the appeal found the extension of her arrest to be legal, the court said in a statement. The accused is not named. Judging by the published photo, she participated in the court session via video link.

A 21-year-old resident of Chita was detained on July 10, the next day she was arrested and sent to pre-trial detention center. This case was not previously known.

According to the court, the accused met through correspondence with a man who turned out to be a representative of the State Border Service of Ukraine, and at his request she photographed and videotaped echelons with military equipment. In addition, she allegedly took photos of military personnel going to war in Ukraine at the Chita airport, and also took a video of a motorcade with mobilized people.

The press service of the court called the accused “an ardent opponent of the SVO” (Russian wars against Ukraine). The resident of Chita, as stated in the press release, wanted to move to Ukraine over time, waiting for money to move from her pen pal.

• According to open data, in March 2023, the number of criminal cases of treason in Russia increased sharply – nine cases were opened in a month.
• In 2023, reports began to appear that Russians were being prosecuted under the article of embezzlement for transferring money to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine: only in the last week, the FSB reported on two such arrests.
• In April, the State Duma of Russia adopted amendments in three readings introducing life imprisonment for treason.
• UN experts also noted a sharp increase in the number of criminal cases on charges of espionage and treason in Russia this year. If last year 24 cases were instituted under the article of embezzlement and 16 people were convicted, then in the first six months of 2023 at least 43 suspects were charged with embezzlement.