A court in Moscow has sentenced Ukrainian activist Iryna Zemlyana to 13 years in prison in absentia for allegedly attacking Russian Ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, with beet juice on May 9, 2022. This ruling was reported on March 10 by the outlet Meduza.
Zemlyana was convicted of assaulting a foreign state representative with the intent to complicate international relations, inciting hatred and hostility through violence, and disseminating military disinformation. The charges of disinformation stemmed from two articles she published between 2022 and 2024, which detailed alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.
In September 2022, Zemlyana disclosed that a criminal case had been opened against her in Russia. She clarified that during the protest in May, she had poured beet juice over herself, and the Russian ambassador was too close to her at the time.
“We had to show that wherever Russians appear, there is blood, and Ukrainians are dying. The form of this protest was provoked by the horrific crimes committed by Russians in Ukraine. Why was the ambassador able to get so close to me? This is a question for the Polish police, not for the protesters exercising their legitimate rights,” she stated.
Following the incident in May 2022, Zemlyana indicated that she had to leave Warsaw due to threats to her life. She reported that her personal information had been leaked online, and she received threatening messages and calls.
Iryna Zemlyana has been sentenced to 13 years in prison by a Moscow court for an incident involving the Russian ambassador to Poland. The charges include assault and disseminating disinformation regarding alleged war crimes by Russian forces.