Tolyatti Resident Sentenced to 14 Years. An acquaintance recorded their conversations about Ukraine on a dictaphone during dates and handed them over to the FSB

She was tried immediately under six articles of the Russian Criminal Code, including preparation for treason, calls for terrorism, financing of terrorism, and "military fakes." The prosecution sought 18 years in a penal colony for the 27-year-old Evtushenko, who is a single mother raising a seven-year-old daughter.

"I have never committed any treason. I love my homeland — Russia, and I will never do anything that would harm it. If I did make some mistakes or violations, then my detention for almost three years is already more than sufficient punishment. Your Honor, I ask you to make a fair decision and release me to my daughter," Evtushenko said in her final statement in court.

The criminal case was based on anti-war posts on social media and the testimony of Nikolai Komarov, whom the media called a provocateur.

During friendly meetings, he recorded their conversations on a dictaphone, and then took the recordings to the FSB.

Evtushenko was detained in the summer of 2023 at the exit of a kindergarten, where she was taking her five-year-old daughter. "Turning around, I saw more than 10 men in civilian clothes standing over me. They put plastic restraints on my hands and threw me into the car as if I were a sack of potatoes," she recounted in a letter published by "Holod".

The Tolyatti resident was arrested by court decision in July 2023. She was suspected of "inciting a Samara resident to commit treason in the form of switching to the enemy's side, namely joining the armed formation – the 'Freedom of Russia' Legion," which is declared a terrorist organization in Russia and banned.

Later, five more articles appeared in the case: calls for terrorism, calls for extremism on the internet, financing of terrorism, "military fakes," and "rehabilitation of Nazism."

In total, Evtushenko faced up to 22.5 years in a penal colony for the charges brought against her. She pleaded not guilty. Since March 2024, the case has been heard by the Central District Military Court, located in Yekaterinburg, with sessions held in Samara.

According to "Holod," the case was built on the testimony of 36-year-old Komarov, whom she met on social media six months before her detention.

"I went on friendly dates, and then it turned out that this person recorded our conversations on a dictaphone from the very first meeting. He asked me a lot of questions about them [the 'Freedom of Russia' Legion], and I answered him. The recordings are cut. Moments that could have acquitted me are excluded, and this is audible because the conversations simply cut off," Evtushenko wrote in a letter to a "Holod" correspondent.

According to the publication, Komarov was a volunteer at Alexei Navalny's Samara headquarters, and later recorded critical videos about the work of opposition figures.

The man has several convictions for theft cases, according to the "Holod" publication. According to "Pervy Otdel," Komarov confirmed in court that he has a criminal record.

From the very beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Evtushenko took an anti-war stance, about which she repeatedly wrote on her social media. According to media reports, she published a link to a petition demanding the impeachment of President Vladimir Putin on the change.org platform, photos of banknotes with anti-war inscriptions, and other materials.

As the FSB claims, Evtushenko "conducted agitation work," "posted propaganda materials creating a positive image of a structural unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," and also published "instructions for Russian servicemen on how to surrender."

In early July 2023, shortly before her detention and arrest, Evtushenko posted a photo on her Instagram with Dmitry Bogdanov, the Minister of Economic Development of the Samara region: this was a photo from a diploma award ceremony for graduates of a program for young entrepreneurs. She was one of the program participants.

Evtushenko is often called "the girl with blue hair" in the media. She apparently dyed her hair this color after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In social media photos, she is dressed in yellow attire.

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