Russian woman gets 12 years behind bars for handing over confidential data to Ukraine

The Sevastopol City Court has sentenced Russian citizen Galina Dovgopolaya to 12 years in prison after finding her guilty of high treason for collecting confidential information for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service, a source in power structures told TASS.

"The Sevastopol City Court has found Galina Dovgopolaya <…> guilty of committing a crime qualified under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code (High Treason). The court sentenced her to 12 years in regular-security prison," the source said. The verdict is yet to enter into force and can be appealed.

Dovgopolaya was collecting data for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s intelligence service about a certain aviation regiment of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the Sevastopol City Court press service told TASS. "The citizen [Dovgopolaya] was carrying out intelligence tasks aimed at collecting data about a separate aviation regiment of the Black Sea Fleet <…> or data that constitutes high treason. If handed over, this data could have been used to undermine Russia’s security," the press service noted. According to the court reports, the case was heard behind closed doors because its materials contained state secrets.

The Sevastopol office of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) earlier reported about a detention of a Russian woman "who was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services and was deliberately collecting confidential information of military nature as ordered by the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine."

In late November 2019, Dovgopolaya was arrested. The FSB transferred her to Moscow for investigation earlier this year.