Ryzhkova Sofiya Aleksandrovna (Rizhkova Sofiya Oleksandrivna)

In August 2023, a 25-year-old local resident, a citizen of Ukraine, Sofia Ryzhkova, was detained in Belgorod. Initially, she was held in a military camp where she was subjected to physical and moral violence - she was beaten with a stun gun, forced to completely undress in the presence of men, and made to sing the Russian national anthem. As a result, the girl was accused of espionage. According to Russian security forces, while temporarily residing in Belgorod, Ryzhkova collected information about the location and operations of Russian Armed Forces units in the region. This information "could have been used against Russia's security. It is claimed that the Ukrainian woman was detained "during her next contact with a representative of Ukrainian special services. The court placed the defendant in the case in a remand prison. On July 12, 2024, the Belgorod Regional Court found Sofia Ryzhkova guilty and sentenced her to 11 years in a general regime penal colony." On October 29, 2024, the First Appellate Court of General Jurisdiction left the verdict in force.