Infant daughter of jailed Crimean woman dies after being convicted of treason
The 18-month-old daughter of Alexandra Strilets, a Crimean woman sentenced by Russia to 12 years for treason, has died shortly after being discharged for home palliative care. The girl had suffered from a severe lung condition since her premature birth.
The infant daughter of Alexandra Strilets, a Crimean woman imprisoned by Russia on treason charges, has died at eighteen months old, independent outlet Novaya Gazeta reported.
The girl, Lera, was born prematurely in March 2025, at 27 weeks of pregnancy and weighing just 530 grams. According to her mother, she was diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia immediately after birth and required intensive care.
Lera's father told Novaya Gazeta that she had been discharged home the day before her death, and that he had prepared a proper room for her as a palliative care patient. By the following morning, she had died.
Conviction on treason charges
A court in Sevastopol sentenced 24-year-old Strilets to 12 years in prison on treason charges in August 2025. Her mother, Viktoria, received the same sentence. Prosecutors alleged that Alexandra had agreed to secretly cooperate with representatives of Ukraine against Russia's security in exchange for payment, and had recruited her mother, who photographed Russian military facilities.
The court refused to postpone enforcement of the sentence despite Strilets having two children — an older daughter born in 2020 and Lera, born in March 2025.
The human rights group Memorial has recognized both Alexandra Strilets and her mother Viktoria as political prisoners.
