The prosecution has requested a 27-year prison sentence for a volunteer from Belgorod, a city near the border with Ukraine, who assisted Ukrainian refugees.

During closing arguments at the 2nd Western District Military Court, the prosecutor requested a 27-year prison sentence for volunteer Nadezhda Rossinskaya (Nadine Geisler). This was reported by lawyer Alexey Pryanishnikov on his Telegram channel.

The trial began on 16 June. The judge plans to announce the verdict at a hearing on 20 June. The hearings are taking place in Belgorod, a city near the border with Ukraine, in an offsite format.

Rossinskaya was detained on 1 February 2024 as she returned to Russia from Georgia. The next day, the volunteer was sent to a pre-trial detention centre on charges of public calls for activities aimed against state security (Part 2, Article 280.4 of the Criminal Code).

In June, a new criminal case was opened against her—for facilitating terrorist activity (Part 4, Article 205.1 of the Criminal Code). According to the investigation, she allegedly “posted online calls to collect donations for the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” specifically for the “Azov” battalion, which is designated as a terrorist organisation in Russia.

In January 2025, it became known that the volunteer was additionally charged with state treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code). According to her defence team, this case was brought over the same post as the previous two criminal cases.

In court, Rossinskaya’s lawyers argued that access to her “VKontakte” page was not held solely by her, but also by malicious actors, and that the prosecution had provided no evidence she transferred money to the Azov regiment. The defence also insisted that the volunteer was helping “those not only facing difficult life circumstances, but real disaster,” and had not committed the crimes she is accused of.

While in the detention centre, Rossinskaya began experiencing health problems. She complained of severe headaches, and also said she was suffering from tachycardia, impaired vision, and such weakness that she could not stand. In autumn she developed a skin rash and her temperature rose.

In August, Rossinskaya submitted a request to the head of the detention centre asking for a clinical examination. She was refused, with authorities citing that the head of medical services at the facility had examined her multiple times.

In October, it was reported that during the entire time in the pre-trial detention centre, Rossinskaya was never given a routine medical check-up (including general blood and urine tests), although according to a Ministry of Justice order, these should be carried out every six months. That same month, the doctor at the facility allowed the volunteer’s parents to send her antibiotics.

• After Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Rossinskaya founded “Army of Beauties”—a women’s volunteer movement that collected and delivered humanitarian aid to civilians in Ukraine, and helped evacuate people from areas under shelling. It was also reported that the activist sent humanitarian aid to Russian soldiers.

• Rossinskaya told “Sever.Realii” that in May 2023 she left Russia “after threats and the prospect of arrest.” In 2022, she and her sister, Elena Egorova, were fined for handing out flowers to passers-by while wearing blue and yellow clothes. The court found that they broke the law on public assemblies (Part 5, Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences).