Maria Ponomarenko
RusNews correspondent. In 2021, a pre-investigation check was conducted against her in order to initiate a case of repeated violations of the order of holding public events, but as a result, the case was not initiated. On 23 April 2022, she was detained in St. Petersburg and taken into custody on 27 April. At first she was charged with the 1st part of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, but then the investigator reclassified it to the more serious 2nd part. On 23 May it was revealed that Ponomarenko was transferred to Barnaul. In September, it was reported that the journalist broke a window in her cell due to her severe mental state and opened her veins. She was sent to the punishment cell. On 14 November Ponomarenko was transferred under house arrest. On the night of 27 January, due to a conflict with her ex-husband, in whose flat Ponomarenko was obliged to serve the house arrest, she went to the police station, after which the court changed her preventive measure to detention. On 15 February 2023, she was sentenced to six years in a general regime colony. After the sentence, she was transferred to another pre-trial detention centre, where she was forced to undress during a search, which caused Ponomarenko to have a fit of rage, after which force was used against her, and she was sent to a psychiatric hospital, where she spent three days. In the colony Ponomarenko is not allowed to hand over to her lawyer the documents on violations by the colony staff. In addition, since 17 September she has stopped receiving letters and has not yet received the necessary medical care. On 2 November 2023, it was revealed that a new criminal case was opened against Ponomarenko - for causing harm that is not dangerous to health to a prison officer. During one of the hearings in the case, the victim actually admitted that he would not have filed a complaint against Ponomarenko on his own initiative. On 18 March 2025, Ponomarenko's lawyer reported that she was on the verge of suicide. On 27 March 2025, Ponomarenko was sentenced in the second case to a year and ten months in a general regime colony. In August 2025, it was revealed that another case was brought against Ponomarenko - for causing minor harm to health.