Ingush physicist sentenced to 18 years in prison over $15 donation to pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters
The Second Western District Military Court has upheld a treason sentence against Ingush physicist Ruslan Shadiev, who donated around $15 to pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters. He has been sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of state treason and aiding terrorist activity in the form of financing.
Shadiev is to serve the first four years in a prison, with the remaining 14 years in a high-security penal colony.
According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, Shadiev’s sentence was handed down in January, but only became public following the appeal proceedings.
Court materials indicated that Shadiev, who worked as a research engineer at the Russian Federal Nuclear Centre in Sarov, made several transfers in 2023 from a cryptocurrency wallet totalling approximately ₽1,200 ($15) in the form of donations to the organisations the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, both recognised as terrorist organisations and banned in Russia. The two groups are military formations fighting on the side of Ukraine against Russian forces; they have been accused of having members who are neo-Nazis, as well as links to other far-right groups.
Part of the funds were also sent to the project Go By the Forest (known as Get Lost in English), which was listed as a foreign agent in 2025. The project reportedly helps Russian citizens evade military conscription and assists active soldiers in desertion.
According to the state‑aligned media outlet Tsargrad, the court concluded that, given his access to classified information and his work at one of Russia’s main nuclear centres, Shadiev was obliged to understand the risks and consequences of his transfers. The judicial panel determined that there was intent to aid terrorist activity and classified his actions as state treason combined with financing terrorism.
During the trial, Shadiev requested leniency. He claimed he did not understand who would receive the money, stating that the transfer had been made via an open link and that he was unaware that the money would go to the organisations listed. The defence also argued that Shadiev was not politically active and had no political objectives.
According to court materials, Shadiev’s relatives also attempted to mitigate his punishment by selling property and transferring several million rubles in support of the Russian armed forces. The court considered these actions insufficient relative to the charges and did not treat them as mitigating circumstances.
While the appeal upheld the sentence, his defence has announced plans to file a cassation appeal with the Military Collegium of the Russian Supreme Court.
While ethnically Ingush, Shadiev was born in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Official sources report that he followed a conventional path for a scientific professional: he earned a gold medal at school, completed higher and postgraduate education, and worked in the engineering laboratories of the Sarov nuclear centre. The Sarov centre is a classified scientific facility where the development and storage of nuclear technology information are strictly controlled and considered a matter of national security.
Colleagues and neighbours described Shadiev to Tsargrad as a reserved, introverted individual, focused on his work.
Elizaveta Chukharova
