Russia Sentences 49-Year-Old IT Specialist to 13 Years for Donating to Ukraine's Military

Russia's Second Western District Military Court has sentenced Yuri Belenky, a 49-year-old IT specialist, to 13 years in prison for financing terrorism. The human rights group Department One reported the verdict. The case centers on donations to an account whose details were published by blogger Arkady Babchenko, and it is another instance of people in Russia being punished for money transfers to Ukraine's military.

The sentence

Belenky will spend the first three years in prison and will then be moved to a high-security penal colony. The court also fined him 500,000 rubles and ordered the confiscation of a further 126,000 rubles.

Detention and charges

News of Belenky's detention emerged in late 2025. He had lived in Bulgaria since 2015 and visited Russia regularly. He was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport in September 2025. At first he was jailed for an administrative offense, petty hooliganism, and was then charged with financing terrorism.

How the transfers were proven

According to Department One, Russian investigators were able to prove the transfers thanks to a detailed report that the cryptocurrency exchange Binance sent in response to a request from the Investigative Committee. The Investigative Committee is Russia's main investigative authority for serious crimes.