A military court in Moscow has sentenced animal rights activist Yevgenia Konforkina to 15 years in prison on charges related to treason and terrorism after she was accused of recording a helicopter manufacturing site, reported the exiled media outlet, Mediazona, on Thursday.
Prosecutors claimed that Konforkina filmed the perimeter of the Mil and Kamov National Helicopter Engineering Center in the Moscow region in September 2023 and sent the footage to the Freedom of Russia Legion, a paramilitary organization of anti-Kremlin Russians fighting alongside Ukraine.
The 43-year-old Konforkina explained in court that she was unwittingly drawn into involvement with the group through a Ukrainian animal rights activist who sought assistance in rescuing horses.
“I inquired about how I could assist, and she sent me two links, so I clicked on the first one,” Konforkina stated, noting that she was unaware of the Freedom of Russia Legion at that time.
According to the prosecution, the link led Konforkina to a volunteer application that she completed and sent to the paramilitary unit, after which she supposedly received instructions to film the helicopter production facility.
The judge at the Second Western District Military Court found her guilty of state treason and membership in a terrorist organization, sentencing her to 15 years in a penal colony. Prosecutors had initially aimed for an 18-year sentence.
Konforkina’s defense attorney argued in court that the terrorism charge should be dismissed, as she had ceased communication with the Freedom of Russia Legion more than six months prior to her arrest in October 2024. The defense also contended that investigators failed to establish that Konforkina knowingly engaged with the anti-Kremlin paramilitary group or that her actions threatened Russia’s national security.
