BBC Russian reveals that journalist Darya Shipacheva raised 1.5 million rubles for Ukraine’s military before receiving a 12-year treason sentence

The case of medical journalist Darya Shipacheva, sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for treason in July 2026, drew widespread attention. A photograph of her in handcuffs in the courtroom spread across social media. Her trial was held behind closed doors, and almost nothing was known about the substance of the charges. BBC Russian has learned exactly what led to her conviction. Meduza summarizes its findings.

Shipacheva raised money for Ukraine’s armed forces on behalf of Ukrainian blogger Vasilisa Levchenko, BBC Russian reported. According to investigators, Shipacheva transferred more than 1.5 million rubles to Levchenko.

Who is Darya Shipacheva?

Darya Shipacheva is 35. Before her arrest, she wrote about medicine, health, and feminism for RBC, Takie Dela, Wonderzine, and Forbes Woman. She also published a book about medicine and health, “Bez paniki” (“Don’t Panic”). As an activist, she organized demonstrations in support of the Khachaturyan sisters and feminist activist Yulia Tsvetkova. She also volunteered at a residential school for children with autism spectrum disorder.

After the war began, Shipacheva chose to stay in Russia. She called Moscow her home and wasn’t considering emigrating. Still, a friend said, she had noticed the security services taking an interest in her. When she traveled abroad, border guards asked why she had been born in Ukraine. Shortly before her arrest, a stranger warned her that people would “soon come” for her.

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vasilisa Levchenko ran a Russian-language psychology blog and had about 60,000 Instagram followers, including some in Russia. After the invasion, she began collecting donations for Ukraine’s armed forces through her Sberbank account. According to the BBC, Russian followers who “felt ashamed” sent her more than a million rubles in the first few days.

In May 2022, Russian propagandists took notice of the fundraising. Sberbank later blocked Levchenko’s card, and Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s financial monitoring agency, subsequently added her to its list of terrorists and extremists. Shipacheva, who did not know Levchenko personally, then offered to collect donations through her own bank account. According to investigators, Shipacheva raised 1.558 million rubles and transferred the money to Levchenko in cryptocurrency.

In letters to BBC journalists, Shipacheva wrote that concern for her family had driven her decision. She was born in Kharkiv but spent most of her life in Russia. She still has relatives in Ukraine, and her cousin serves in the Ukrainian military.

“I faced an unbearable choice: Supporting one homeland meant betraying the other. I chose to support those who, in my view, are the injured party,” Shipacheva wrote. She emphasized that she had raised money for first-aid kits, jackets, and sleeping bags.

Shipacheva said she realized she would end up in prison as soon as she was detained. There was no point denying it, she said — the officers “had all the evidence.” She pleaded guilty “out of fear and weakness” and signed a pretrial cooperation agreement after being threatened with 18 years in prison.

A transfer “to a Sberbank card belonging to a Ukrainian blogger” may also have been the basis for another criminal prosecution. IT consultant Nina Slobodchikova was sentenced to 12 years for treason over a transfer of 5,000 rubles. Although Slobodchikova declined to tell journalists whom she had sent the money to, her account matches the circumstances of Levchenko’s fundraising, the BBC reported.

Shipacheva hopes to be included in a prisoner exchange and is counting on Levchenko’s help. In letters to her friends, she asks them to let Levchenko know that she has been sentenced to 12 years. “Remind Vasilisa — maybe she’ll put in a word for her somewhere. It would be good if Vasilisa remembered her,” acquaintances of Shipacheva told the BBC.

BBC journalists reached out to Levchenko. She confirmed that Shipacheva had followed her blog but said she had not known her personally. Levchenko declined to answer any other questions. “I don’t see any point in this. I don’t do volunteer work anymore,” she wrote, before blocking the BBC correspondent.

How we use AI to translate

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.

To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.