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68-year-old Ukrainian elderly woman Halyna Bekhter, who was sentenced to 12.5 years on charges of state treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code), has been hospitalised in Prison Hospital No. 10 in Vologda, a city north of Moscow, after she stopped eating. This was reported by lawyer Irina Biryukova, who visited the woman, says Memorial.
'It is a terrible sight: a skeleton covered in skin, barely able to stand. She moves on her own, but very slowly and has to hold on to something. I got the impression she is somewhere far away in her own world, her eyes are empty; it’s as if she’s looking at you, but also as if she’s not. She answers questions in a barely audible whisper. She says: “I don’t know anything… I don’t know anything.” And sighs'—this is how the lawyer described Bekhter’s condition.
Bekhter’s diagnosis has not yet been determined. Over the next two weeks, doctors and psychiatrists are to examine the elderly woman to clarify the reasons for her condition. Biryukova intends to send official requests and seek the necessary medical assistance for her client.
Bekhter’s sharp deterioration in health was reported previously. Cellmates said that the woman refused food, did not wash, and could not control her bodily functions. In July, at a height of 176 cm, she weighed about 50 kg (110 lbs). Other detainees crushed her food and fed her with a spoon.
The case of Halyna Bekhter
Bekhter lived with her husband in the village of Raichenfeld, Melitopol district, Zaporizhzhia region, occupied by Russian forces at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the human rights organisation “Numo, Sisters!,” the couple were openly pro-Ukrainian in their views. In November 2024, Russian soldiers took them in for questioning, but later released them.
In July 2025, according to rights defenders, Bekhter was taken again from her home. She was held in Melitopol and Yakymivka (both in Zaporizhzhia region), then transferred to Donetsk, and later to Simferopol Pretrial Detention Centre No. 1, in Crimea. Her family believe the criminal prosecution was triggered by a neighbour’s denunciation. In January 2026, while Bekhter was already incarcerated, her husband died.
On 5 March, a Zaporizhzhia regional court established by the Russian authorities sentenced the elderly woman to 11 years in a general regime penal colony and an additional year of restricted freedom for “state treason.” According to the prosecution’s version, in July 2023, Bekhter used a Ukrainian banking app to transfer an amount equivalent to about 1,240 roubles (US$13) to an account linked to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The prosecution considered the punishment too lenient and demanded a 16-year prison sentence. In July, the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction increased her sentence to 12 years and 6 months. By this point, Bekhter’s serious health deterioration had already become known.
The “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” project considers Halyna Bekhter a political prisoner and demands her immediate release. Human rights defenders note that they do not have access to case materials and cannot independently verify either the very fact of the transfer or the investigators' claim about who the money was intended for.