Detention: On February 5, 2025, following a search of their residence, Russian FSB officers took Anna Sotsenko and her daughter Oksana to an unknown location. For nearly nine months, their whereabouts were concealed from family and the public. Only in November 2025 did human rights defenders determine that both women were held in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Simferopol.

Sentence: As of July 22, 2026, there is no information on a sentence. The Russian Federation accuses Anna Sotsenko under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code (“state treason”). Human rights organizations consider the case politically motivated, emphasizing that the detention followed a forced disappearance and that proceedings lack transparency and fair trial standards.

Anna Mykolaivna Sotsenko was born on October 2, 1955. She is a resident of the town of Pervomaiske (now Kurman) in occupied Crimea. At the time of her detention, she was about 70 years old, had several chronic illnesses, and required constant medical supervision.

On February 5, 2025, Russian FSB officers conducted a search in the apartment where Anna Sotsenko and her daughter Oksana lived. After the search, both women were taken to an unknown location. Since then, they have not been in contact with their relatives. Anna's phone was unresponsive, and according to human rights defenders, her Telegram account showed occasional unauthorized activity, suggesting that security forces may have accessed her personal data.

For a long time, relatives received no official information about the women's whereabouts.

Only in early November 2025 was it revealed that Anna and Oksana Sotsenko were in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Simferopol. It was also disclosed that both women were charged with “state treason.” Until this point, they had been held in complete isolation (incommunicado) for over nine months, without contact with family and without public information on the investigation.

Human rights defenders emphasize that Anna Sotsenko's case is part of a trend of a sharp increase in criminal proceedings under articles on “state treason” and “espionage” against residents of occupied Crimea following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In similar cases, forced disappearances, prolonged detention without contact with the outside world, and closed court proceedings have become systemic practices of the Russian occupation authorities.

Due to Anna Sotsenko's advanced age and chronic illnesses, human rights organizations have repeatedly expressed concern about her health condition in the detention facility. Meanwhile, the occupation authorities have not provided public information on whether she is receiving adequate medical care or about her detention conditions.

As of July 22, 2026, Anna Sotsenko remains in custody. Her case continues to be an example of forced disappearances and politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian civilians in occupied Crimea.

Information sourced from open sources: Suspilne Crimea, Human Rights Center ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Krym.Realii.

Update date: July 22, 2026.