A court in the occupied Kherson region has sentenced 55-year-old Nataliya Povetkina to twelve years in a penal colony. The Russia-controlled judicial panel also imposed a fine of 100,000 rubles on the resident of the Skadovsk district. The conviction is based on the article on high treason in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
According to the prosecution, Povetkina collected information in May 2023 about the places of residence of soldiers and the locations of military equipment. She allegedly transmitted this information to an intermediary linked to Ukrainian services. Law enforcement authorities state in their justification that the obtained data could have been used to carry out attacks on locations where military personnel are stationed.
The court proceedings in Kherson lasted less than a month. Nataliya Povetkina will serve her sentence in a general-regime penal institution. This is one of a series of cases in which authorities in occupied territories impose severe sentences on local residents for cooperation with Ukraine. The court’s decision has been recorded in the official records of the prosecutor’s office and the court’s press service.
The case reflects the situation in the region, where the judicial system operates under the laws of the occupying state. Accusations of espionage and treason have recently become a frequent tool for sanctioning the actions of civilians on the ground. No information about the defense or a possible appeal by the convicted woman is available in public sources. The verdict was delivered through an expedited procedure concluded in early April.
