Russian court sentences journalist Darya Shipacheva to 12 years for 'treason'; friend sheds light on secret case

A Moscow court on July 29, 2026 found journalist Darya Shipacheva guilty of high treason and sentenced her to 12 years in prison. She was arrested in spring 2025 at her apartment in Moscow, then held at a detention center in Rostov-on-Don before being moved to Moscow's Lefortovo detention center. The charges concern a money transfer to Ukraine.

Shipacheva, 35, was born in Ukraine, grew up in Russia's Kursk region and later moved to Moscow. She worked as a medical and science journalist for RBC, Takie Dela, Wonderzine and Forbes Woman, and authored a book on medicine and health, "Bez paniki" ("Don't Panic"). As an activist, she organized rallies supporting the Khachaturyan sisters and feminist Yulia Tsvetkova, and received threats from the Male State movement.

Her friend Taya, in an interview with the independent journalism cooperative Bereg, said they met in 2021. Shipacheva was deeply attached to her Moscow apartment, which she had renovated herself, and that was a major reason she stayed in Russia after the war began. She initially tried to persuade Taya to return, but later stopped. Their last contact was on March 31, 2025; after Shipacheva vanished, Taya learned through acquaintances that she had been arrested. A support chat warned against asking too many questions, and the case remained classified.

In a letter from detention, Shipacheva wrote: "Don't come back. Nothing here will ever be good." She asked for food and books, feared prison conditions and worried about her cat Luna. Sometimes she dreamed of a future in Europe. Taya does not believe the transfer was deliberate support for Ukraine, and she recalls that a stranger had warned Shipacheva that people were "digging up dirt" on her, but she paid no attention.