Russia sentences Ukrainian man to 8.5 years in prison in first known case under new ‘aiding the enemy’ law
The Pskov Regional Court sentenced a Ukrainian citizen born in 1999 to eight years and six months in a maximum-security penal colony for “assisting the enemy in activities known to be directed against Russia’s security” under Article 276.1 of the Criminal Code, according to the court’s website.
Investigators alleged that the man sent money to foundations supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces while living and working in Russia.
The court also fined him 500,000 rubles and ordered his cellphone forfeited to the state because it had been “used in the commission of the crime.”
The court did not name the defendant. Mediazona identified him as 26-year-old Anton Demidenko.
His arrest was first reported in July 2025, after Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court ordered him held in custody. At the time, it was the first known use of Article 276.1, which criminalizes “assisting the enemy.”
Article 276.1 was added to the Criminal Code in late 2024. It applies to foreign nationals and stateless people who provide financial, advisory, or other assistance to “a foreign state or an international or foreign organization directly opposing Russia in an armed conflict, hostilities, or other actions involving weapons and military equipment.” The minimum sentence is 10 years in prison, meaning Demidenko received a sentence below the statutory minimum. The reason is unknown.
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