Ukraine demands return of woman arrested in Russia for donation

The office of Ukraine’s Human Rights Ombudsman is demanding that Russia return Svitlana Loy, a 70-year-old resident of temporarily occupied Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia region, after a Moscow court sentenced her to 15 years in prison for donating money to Ukrainian armed forces, according to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

“As far as we know, her only ‘offense’ was making a donation to one of the Ukrainian military units while physically present in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory,” Lubinets stated.

He explained that the Ombudsman’s office is preparing an official request to facilitate the return of the elderly woman, to request a visit, and to demand information from Russia about her health and the conditions in which she is being held. “I am preparing the request, and it will be sent to Russia tomorrow,” Lubinets added.

Svitlana Loy obtained a Russian passport after Tokmak was occupied, but she did not renounce her Ukrainian citizenship. She received a Ukrainian pension and donated part of it to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In February of this year, a so-called “Zaporizhzhia Regional Court” set up by the occupying authorities sentenced her to 15 years in prison for supporting the Ukrainian army.

Up to 16,000 Ukrainian civilians may currently be held in Russian captivity, but only 1,878 have been verified. All of them remain between captivity and complete uncertainty.