Mariia Ponomarenko

A correspondent for RusNews. In 2021, a preliminary investigation was carried out into possible repeated violations of regulations at public events, but no criminal case was ultimately opened. On 23 April 2022, she was detained in Saint Petersburg and was remanded in custody on 27 April. She was initially charged under Part 1 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, but the investigator later reclassified the charge under the more serious Part 2. On 23 May it became known that Ponomarenko had been transferred to Barnaul.

In September, reports emerged that, owing to a serious deterioration in her mental health, she broke a window in her cell and cut her veins. She was then placed in solitary confinement. On 14 November she was moved to house arrest. On the night of 27 January, following a conflict with her ex-husband in the flat where she was living under house arrest, she went to a police station. The court subsequently changed her measure of restraint back to custody. On 15 February 2023, she was sentenced to six years in a general-regime penal colony.

After sentencing, she was transferred to another detention centre where, during a search, she was forced to strip. The incident triggered a severe outburst, after which force was used against her and she was sent to a psychiatric hospital for three days. In the penal colony, Ponomarenko has been prevented from sending documents on staff misconduct to her lawyer. Since 17 September she has also been denied correspondence, and she still has not received necessary medical treatment.

On 2 November 2023, a new criminal case was opened against her for allegedly causing minor harm to a member of the prison staff. During one hearing, the supposed victim admitted that they would not have filed a complaint against Ponomarenko of their own accord.

On 18 March 2025, her lawyer reported that she was on the verge of suicide. On 27 March 2025, she was sentenced in the second case to one year and ten months in a general-regime penal colony.

In August 2025, it was revealed that yet another case had been opened against Ponomarenko, again for allegedly causing minor bodily harm to a member of the prison staff.

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