Bulgarian Woman Sentenced to Three Years in Russia Over Online Comments

Bulgarian citizen Rositsa Georgieva, who resides in Russia’s Volgograd region, has been sentenced to three years in prison over online comments, according to reports from the independent Russian human rights Telegram channel OVD-Info.

The case against Georgieva stems from charges of “justifying terrorism,” linked to remarks she reportedly made in March and November 2024 under posts about the activities of the “Russian Volunteer Corps,” a unit fighting alongside the Ukrainian army. On September 9, 2025, a Volgograd court handed her a three-year sentence to be served in a general-regime penal colony. OVD-Info notes that the ruling has not yet come into effect.

It remains unclear when the criminal proceedings officially began. However, OVD-Info reports that Georgieva faced a series of arrests in December 2024. She was first detained for 13 days on December 9 for disobeying police orders, and then arrested again on December 21 for ten days on a separate administrative charge for petty hooliganism.

The case has drawn attention due to its connection to online expression and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, highlighting the Russian authorities’ broad interpretation of laws on “justifying terrorism” in the context of social media activity.