A native of St. Petersburg received a prison sentence for plotting a terrorist attack in Rostov-on-Don.
A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Anastasia Donova to 18 years in prison, finding her guilty of plotting a terrorist attack against Russian military personnel and a Luhansk official.
Anastasia Donova's case was received by the Southern District Military Court on January 13 and was heard in just three sessions. Donova was accused of plotting a terrorist attack, treason, and the illegal manufacture and trafficking of explosive devices. Her sentence was announced today.
According to the prosecution, Donova and an unnamed acquaintance contacted a Ukrainian intelligence officer on November 19, 2024. On that day, both women received instructions from him to come to Rostov-on-Don; at the time, they were in Vyborg (Leningrad Oblast).
Donova and her friend traveled to Rostov-on-Don that same day – according to security officials, partly “for personal reasons,” but also “for selfish motives, hoping for financial compensation.” There, they were tasked with monitoring members of the Russian army command and a certain official from Luhansk. Covert surveillance was conducted on their residences, family members, vehicles, and travel routes, according to a court press release.
By January 31, 2025, Donova and her accomplice had established the actual residences of their targets in Rostov-on-Don. That same month, the girls received a new assignment – to manufacture an explosive device. According to the prosecution, Donova purchased the necessary components and stored them in a Rostov home she shared with her friend and accomplice.
The court sentenced Anastasia Donova to 18 years. a general regime penal colony with a fine of 500,000 rubles. The court statement did not specify whether she agreed to the charges. Caucasian Knot has not yet received comments from the defendant's lawyer regarding the prospects of appealing the verdict.
Anastasia Donova was born in June 2001 in St. Petersburg, according to her entry in the Rosfinmonitoring register of terrorists and extremists. Her data was added to the list in April 2025, according to a Telegram bot tracking updates to the list.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on February 6, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found St. Petersburg resident Polina Kostyuchenko guilty of treason and attempted assassination of members of the command staff of the Russian Armed Forces. She was sentenced to 17 Years of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 rubles.
Judging by the identical plot of the case with the same dates, Kostyuchenko was an accomplice of Anastasia Donova. Polina Kostyuchenko, a native of Vyborg, was added to the register of terrorists and extremists on the same day as Donova. Kostyuchenko is the same age as Donova, born in July 2001.