Court in Ulyanovsk sentences Anastasia Chumakova in absentia to seven years in a penal colony

This was reported from the courtroom by a correspondent for “Ostorozhno, novosti”, and “Mediazona” уточнила that the prosecution had requested nine years in a penal colony for Chumakova.

The Zavolzhsky District Court of Ulyanovsk found Astra founder and editor-in-chief Anastasia Chumakova guilty in a case involving military “fakes” and evasion of the duties of a “foreign agent”. In addition to seven years in a penal colony, she was given a four-year ban on administering websites and a fine of 200,000 rubles.

The first episode is linked to nine Astra posts and Chumakova’s personal Telegram channel. It concerned reports about events in the Ukrainian city of Bucha during the Russian occupation.

Investigators claim that these accounts by Bucha residents incite hatred toward Russian soldiers. In the second episode, Chumakova was accused of distributing Astra materials without the “foreign agent” label.

Chumakova has been living outside Russia for several years, and in November 2025 she was placed on a wanted list.