A Notorious Verdict: 22 Years for a Russian Aid Worker
escapeof 25,000 Ukrainians allegedly aided by a Russian individual
A Russian court has sentenced Nadezhda Rossinskaya, also known as Nadin Geisler, to a grueling 22 years in prison. The sentence was handed down by a military court in Belgorod following accusations of treason and financing terrorism[1][2][3][4][5].
An active anti-war advocate, Rossinskaya founded the "Army of Beauties" volunteer group, aiding in the evacuation of thousands of people, largely from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine[1][2][5]. After initially fleeing to Georgia, she returned to Belgorod to coordinate evacuation efforts. Upon her return in 2024, she was detained and charged for her work, specifically, an Instagram post allegedly calling for donations to the Ukrainian Azov Battalion, categorized by Russia as a terrorist organization[1][2].
The trial saw Rossinskaya deny any wrongdoing, stating she neither wrote nor published the donation appeal. Her lawyer argued that the investigation failed to pin down the IP address or device location associated with the donation appeal, with no evidence provided that she transferred money to the Azov Battalion[1][2]. The prosecution, however, called for a harsher sentence of 27 years, but the court opted for 22[1].
The Army of Beauties, the volunteer organization founded by Rossinskaya, claims to have facilitated the evacuation of thousands, focusing primarily on the Belgorod region[1][2][5]. The sensitive and politically charged nature of the conflict makes independent verification of these claims challenging. Nonetheless, Rossinskaya's case serves as a pointed example of Russia's tightened grip on individuals accused of supporting Ukraine or opposing the Russian military operations, with activists helping Ukrainians facing severe penalties in Russia[3].
[1] https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/20/anti-war-activist-sentenced-to-22-years-over-alleged-helping-ukrainians-flee-war-a72934
[2] https://www.mediasona.com/2025/06/20/ukraine_vtorzhenie_rossijskogo_voennogo_suda_okonchatelnejstej-aleja-movokiani-10209867/
[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/20/russian-court-imposes-prison-sentence-on-anti-war-activist
[4] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/russian-court-jails-anti-war-activist-ukraine-helped-refugees-kremlin-critic-2025-06-19/
[5] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/nadezhda-rossinskaya-ukraine-war-sentence-protest-verdict-b1987152.html
The community is questioning the validity of the harsh employment policy in this case, as Nadezhda Rossinskaya, an anti-war activist and founder of the "Army of Beauties," was sentenced to 22 years for allegedly supporting Ukraine, a controversial matter in the context of ongoing war-and-conflicts and politics. This sentence raises concerns within the general-news and crime-and-justice sectors, given the disputed evidence and the broader implications for future policies regarding employment and support for war-torn regions.
