A woman from the Kherson region received a longer sentence following an appeal

The Court of Appeals reviewed the sentence of a resident of the Kherson region who headed a “polling station election commission” during the Russian pseudo-referendum in the region. Her prison term was increased to four years.

This is stated in the ruling of the Odesa Court of Appeals. 

In September 2025, the Khadzhibey District Court of Odessa found the woman guilty of collaboration. Applying the provision for a mitigated sentence, the defendant was sentenced to three years in prison with a 10-year ban on holding public office, without confiscation of property.

The prosecutor appealed the sentence, calling it too lenient. He demanded the maximum penalty—10 years in prison, a 15-year ban on holding public office, and the confiscation of all the convicted woman’s property. In the prosecutor’s view, the trial court had unjustifiably applied mitigating circumstances.

The appellate court partially agreed with the prosecutor. It found the three-year sentence insufficient given the severity of the crime. At the same time, the court denied the request for the maximum sentence and confiscation of property, taking into account the woman’s admission of guilt, her lack of prior convictions, the difficult personal and family circumstances she faced during the occupation, and the fact that she suffers from chronic illnesses.

As a result, the appellate court sentenced the woman to four years in prison, with a 10-year ban on holding office or engaging in activities related to the electoral process, without confiscation of property. 

On September 18, Intent reported that law enforcement officials had served a notice of suspicion to a 60-year-old resident of Novoraysk, who, during the occupation of the village, headed a pseudo-election commission and organized a Russian “referendum.” She was detained in the Dnipropetrovsk region while attempting to leave the country.

Юлія Калабайда