Teacher Jailed for Aiding Ukrainian Soldier in Donetsk

Valentina Zayarnaya

A 65-year-old teacher from Amvrosiivka, a part of the Donetsk region in Ukraine, has been handed a 12-year prison sentence by a Russian court. Valentina Zayarnaya, who resided in the Russian-held area, gave shelter to a Ukrainian soldier, Denis Storozhuk, at her home in the summer of 2022.

The Southern Military District Court in Rostov found Zayarnaya guilty of being linked to a terrorist group, trying to keep explosive items, and planning a terrorist act. She received a 12-year prison term along with a fine of 500,000 rubles (about $6,300), according to Mediazona.

Based on the investigation, Zayarnaya and Storozhuk were watching Yaroslav Anika, who calls himself a DPR (Donetsk People's Republic) deputy, and intended to bomb his car. Zayarnaya was charged with getting a delivery containing parts for a bomb at Storozhuk's request.

Current Time reports that Zayarnaya claimed she knew Storozhuk, a Ukrainian border guard named Dima, before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. She lived in the Russian-controlled DPR area and went to Mariupol to collect her mother's pension. When the war began, Dima contacted her, saying his Mariupol home was destroyed and asking for a place to stay. Storozhuk stayed with Zayarnaya for about a year.

Storozhuk: Anika Was an Old Friend

D. Storozhuk, a lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian Border Guard Service, led the operational-search department in Mariupol. In May 2022, he avoided capture with other Azovstal defenders and hid in the occupied territory. In 2023, FSB officers arrested Storozhuk and detained him in Donetsk. By September 2024, he was back in Ukraine through a prisoner exchange.

After his release, Storozhuk said he conducted sabotage against Russian soldiers and helped bomb an ammunition depot in Amvrosiivka. But, he described DPR deputy Y. Anika as an old friend who aided him during the occupation, denying any plans to kill him.

The Rostov court also sentenced Storozhuk to 22 years in prison. Zayarnaya stated she did not know about Storozhuk's activities, his role in defending Azovstal, or the contents of the package.