A pensioner from the Republic of Moldova was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Russia for “treason against the motherland”

A 65-year-old pensioner holding citizenship of both the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Krasnodar Regional Court in a treason case. The sentence was handed down in Russia after the woman allegedly photographed a facility belonging to the Ministry of Defense and sent the images to a representative of the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova.

According to Mediazona, the woman is Natalia Slanovskaia, from Moscow. In February 2026, while receiving treatment at a sanatorium in Anapa, she allegedly photographed the military facility several times. The FSB claimed that the information could have been used by the Security Service of Ukraine, considering that the Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova acts in Ukraine’s interests.

Slanovskaia was detained in mid-May, after two consecutive periods of administrative detention for petty hooliganism, ordered by Moscow courts on May 18 and June 1. She was subsequently allegedly transferred to a pretrial detention center as part of the criminal investigation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chișinău announced that the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Moscow had requested official information but had not yet received a response. The Foreign Ministry noted that the offense of treason against the state, provided for under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code, may be charged exclusively against citizens of the Russian Federation. Moldovan authorities continue to monitor the case and assess the possibilities for providing consular assistance.