The international organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned a Russian court’s ruling sentencing Iryna Zemlyana, a media expert at the Ukrainian NGO Insititute of Mass Information, to 13 years in prison in absentia, RSF said in an X post.
“RSF condemns the unjust 13-year prison sentence handed down in absentia to Ukrainian journalist Iryna Zemlyana. Among other charges, she was found guilty of spreading alleged “false information” about the Russian invasion of Ukraine — but reporting is not a crime,” the post reads.
In March 2026, the Moscow City Court (Russia) sentenced the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) media expert Iryna Zemlyana to 13 years in a low-security prison in absentia. Zemlyana was found guilty of attacking a representative of a foreign state with the aim of complicating international relations; inciting hatred and enmity through violent means; and promoting “fakes” about the Russian army.
Iryna Zemlyana said that the ruling was politically motivated and part of a pressure campaign against her; according to her, the charges are entirely fabricated.
Previously
In November 2022, Russia declared Iryna Zemlyana a wanted person, opening a criminal case against her for allegedly attacking the Russian ambassador Sergei Andreev in Warsaw (Poland). Iryna notes that she did not commit the attack.
A group of protesters doused the ambassador with a red liquid as he was trying to lay flowers at the Mausoleum of Soviet Soldiers on 9 May 2022. Many protesters had red paint stains on their clothes to symbolise the blood of the victims of Russia’s war in Ukraine. They chanted such words as “fascists,” “ruscists,” and “murderers.”
Iryna Zemlyana, who participated in the campaign, had to leave Warsaw following a series of death threats.
Poland investigated the death threats to Iryna Zemlyana by Russians and others. In June 2023, Polish prosecutors paused the investigation into the Russian ambassador in Warsaw, Sergei Andreev, being doused with paint on 9 May 2022.
The National Police of Ukraine opened a case following Zemlyana’s statement after the incident with the Russian ambassador in Warsaw. Later, the Shevchenkiv District Police Department in Kyiv closed the case over death and doxxing threats to the IMI expert Iryna Zemlyana. However, the court ordered to resume the investigation.
Interpol is yet to decide whether to declare her an international wanted person at Russia’s request or not.
In February 2024, Iryna Zemlyana, an expert at the Institute of Mass Information, was added to the list of “terrorists and extremists” maintained by the Russian Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring).
On 4 March 2024, the Basmannyi District Court of Moscow (Russia) arrested Iryna Zemlyana in absentia on these frivolous charges. She said the decision was based on a false accusation and the case regarding the spring 2022 incident when the Russian ambassador in Poland was “doused in paint” was fabricated.
