Russian Programmer Sentenced to 15 Years for Donating $500 to Ukraine’s Defense Fund

A Russian software developer in Moscow on Tuesday was sentenced to 15 years hard prison time for donating roughly $500 to a Ukrainian defense fund, reporting by East2West confirmed.  

Sergei Irin, 45, who at one point worked for Russian tech giant Yandex, apparently refused to stand in court as he was issued his sentence, but held up a sign that read, “Putin is a “s—head.”

Former software developer with Russian tech giant Yandex, Sergei Irin, 45, held up a sign reading ‘Putin is a s—head’ as he was sentenced to 15 years in jail for treason in Moscow court on Aug. 26, 2025. (East2West)

He is then questioned in a van by the men, at which point he admits that within days of Russian President Vladimir Putin launching his illegal and deadly invasion of Ukraine, Irin donated funds to Ukraine’s Come Back Alive charity, which supports Kyiv’s defense forces. 

The donation was made on Feb. 27, 2022, according to Irin.

The 45-year-old also said he feels “negatively” towards the Putin regime and admitted to having participated in opposition rallies.

Former software developer with Russian tech giant Yandex, Sergei Irin, 45, was sentenced in a Moscow court on Aug. 26, 2025. (East2West)

The report by East2West said he was later “interrogated with a stun gun and sent by plane to Moscow, to the Lefortovo [notorious pretrial detention center].”

Irin was also issued a roughly $62,000 fine by the Russian court on Tuesday. 

It is unclear which maximum-security prison he will be sent to, to carry out his sentence.