Russia jails two Ukrainian Telegram administrators in occupied Melitopol for up to 16 years
Two Ukrainians accused of running pro-Kyiv Telegram channels in occupied Melitopol have been sentenced by Russian-controlled courts to lengthy prison terms.
According to court reports on Sept. 3, 36-year-old Heorhiy Levchenko, administrator of the Telegram channel Ria-Melitopol, received 16 years in a maximum-security colony on charges of treason and extremism, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
27-year-old Vladyslav Gershon, who ran Melitopol tse Ukraina (“Melitopol is Ukraine”), was sentenced to 15 years on charges of espionage and terrorism-related offenses. His trial was held behind closed doors due to what Russia claimed were state secrets.
Russian authorities alleged that Levchenko set up a network of informants in 2023 and passed information on Russian troop movements to Ukrainian forces, enabling strikes on Russian positions.
Levchenko’s detention was first publicized by Russia’s FSB in October 2023, when state media aired footage framing him as part of a Ukrainian “agent network.”
Reporters Without Borders says other Melitopol journalists and media figures arrested in the same crackdown are also facing trials in Rostov-on-Don, with some in pretrial detention and others reportedly subjected to forced psychiatric treatment.
Melitopol, located in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. Since the full-scale invasion began, Moscow has broadened its use of charges such as “extremism” and “terrorism” to silence dissent, outlaw independent media, and target opposition voices.
Similar news
