A new criminal case has been opened against eco-activist and artist from Samara Irina Izmailova under the article on treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the "Solidarity Zone".
Izmailova has been in custody since September 2023 in a case of manufacturing explosives (Part 1 of Article 223.1 of the Criminal Code). The new case became known at a meeting to extend the activist's preventive measure.
The decision to initiate the case, quoted by Zona Solidarnosti, states that “in the period from September 1 to September 10, 2022, Izmaylova <…>, without sharing the goals and objectives <…> of the special military operation <…> , with the aim of participating in activities directed against the political regime existing in the Russian Federation, while in the city of Chisinau (Republic of Moldova), contacted an unidentified representative of a foreign intelligence service of Ukraine named Vitaly with the aim of assisting the said state in activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation.” On Vitaly’s instructions, in May 2023, Izmaylova allegedly manufactured “an unspecified quantity” of explosives and transferred them to “an unidentified person” through a cache.
And in July 2023, the investigation claims, Izmailova, on instructions from another “curator” Alexander, went to Turkey to deliver Gembird headphones from there to Russia, in which detonators were allegedly hidden.
Irina Izmailova has not yet been charged with treason. The maximum penalty under this article is 25 years in prison.
Izmailova was detained after a search on September 1, 2023 - a few months before that, her boyfriend, the founder of the "Recyclables for Charity" movement, Alexander Kudashev, joined the ranks of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) in Ukraine. After the search, Izmailova was taken to the Investigative Committee and the local Department for Combating Extremism, and the next day she was taken to the regional FSB office. There she learned that a criminal case had been opened against her for the manufacture of explosives. On September 2, the Samara District Court sent the girl to a pre-trial detention center. Today, the same court extended the arrest for another two months, until September 1.
In December 2023, Izmaylova was charged with manufacturing explosives. During interrogation after her arrest, the girl admitted her guilt and stated that she manufactured explosives on the instructions of "her supervisor, an employee of the Security Service of Ukraine." At the same time, neither Izmaylova's relatives nor her lawyer were allowed to attend the search and interrogation. The activist's relatives do not believe that she was going to commit radical acts and believe that the explosives were planted on her. Her boyfriend, Alexander Kudashev, also believes that her detention is connected with his joining the RDC. At the same time, according to Kudashev, he did not inform Izmaylova about her participation in the war, as he wanted to protect her. He himself is wanted, presumably, he is charged with participation in an illegal armed formation (Article 208 of the Criminal Code).
Kudashev also said that Izmailova visited him for three months in the spring and summer of 2023 while he was in Moldova. There, they did volunteer work to help Ukrainian refugees. Izmailova was detained shortly after returning to Russia.
The Solidarity Zone suggests that Izmailova's persecution may be linked to her anti-war stance.
You can support the prisoner by writing a letter through the Zonatelecom service or by regular mail to the address:
443 047, Samara, st. Utevskaya 18A, PFRSI IK-15
Izmailova Irina Olegovna born in 1989
- After the war in Ukraine began, the Russian authorities began to react sharply to protest sentiments. The list of articles under which those speaking out against the war are prosecuted is quite broad. The defendants in "anti-war cases" are often charged with hooliganism, vandalism, violence against government officials, and other violations. Articles introduced into the Criminal Code after the start of military operations also became a significant element of pressure - the dissemination of "fakes" about the Russian army and discrediting the armed forces.
- At the moment, more than 950 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protests against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .