The daughter of one of Putin's close associates was convicted for participating in an anti-war rally
The Pervomaisky District Court of Kirov (Russian Federation) sentenced 28-year-old Alexandra Pugach in absentia to six years in a general-regime penal colony. Alexandra is the daughter of Valentin Pugach, rector of Vyatka State University, who served as Putin’s official representative in the Kirov region during the Russian presidential election.
Human rights monitoring organizations report on the verdict, which the court handed down on May 14, 2026.
The Russian court found the young woman guilty under articles regarding so-called “military fakes” (the public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Russian Federation’s armed forces) and public calls to carry out activities directed against state security. In addition to the actual prison term, the judge imposed an additional penalty on Oleksandra in the form of a 3.5-year ban on administering websites and information resources.
Criminal proceedings against Oleksandra Pugach were initiated by Russian security forces in January 2026. The main reason for opening the case was her public speech at an anti-war rally in Georgia, where she had emigrated immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During her speech abroad, she openly condemned the Kremlin’s aggressive policies, called on the international community to actively support Ukraine, and urged financial donations to aid the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Russian woman also actively shares her anti-war and pro-Ukrainian stance on her Instagram page. According to available information, after moving to Georgia and publicly breaking with the ideology of the Russian regime, Oleksandra completely ceased all communication with her father, a government official.
This is reported by Mediazona.
As a reminder, in Russia, three captured “Azov” fighters were sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In Rostov-on-Don, a local court found Serhiy Korovainy guilty of so-called “discrediting” the Russian Federation’s army due to a reaction in a house chat on the Max messenger app.
