Russia files first known treason case over tax payments to Ukraine

Russian authorities have brought what appears to be their first known treason case based specifically on tax payments made into Ukraine's state budget, independent outlet Mediazona reported. The defendant, businessman Oleg Varyukhin, lived in Ukraine for 27 years before the charge was filed.

Varyukhin was detained in May 2026. His lawyer, Yuri Shel, said in early August that the treason charge was tied to Varyukhin's tax payments in Ukraine, though at the time it remained unclear exactly which tax had drawn the attention of Russian authorities.

According to Shel, officers from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) discovered records of the tax payments on Varyukhin's phone during a search conducted at the airport. While money transfers supporting Ukraine's military have previously resulted in treason prosecutions in Russia, this is reportedly the first known instance of someone being prosecuted for treason over ordinary tax payments into Ukraine's state budget.

A life split between two countries

Varyukhin was born in Norilsk and moved to Ukraine in 1999, where he ran a perfume shop. He was never able to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, yet he also lacked a Russian passport, having left Russia originally on Soviet-era documents. In 2026, he traveled to Russia via Moldova in order to update his documentation, and was detained immediately upon arrival at the airport.

Shel has called the treason charge absurd, arguing that anyone working in a given country is obligated to pay taxes there and has no say over how the government subsequently spends that revenue. Despite these arguments, the court was not persuaded and upheld Varyukhin's detention.