The Supreme Court of Ukraine has upheld the sentence of Chernivtsi blogger Anzhela Hurina, a member of the Human Rights movement associated with the scandalous Ostap Stakhiv. She was convicted of spreading information about the movement and location of military facilities during social media streams.
The court sentenced the blogger to five years in prison.
Angela Hurina was detained by SBU officers on August 22, 2023, and her home was searched the same day. According to the investigation, during a stream in the summer of 2023, she announced the coordinates of the location of a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and, despite the warnings of the military, published the video in public access on YouTube and TikTok.
"The video shows how the servicemen demanded to stop filming for security reasons. However, the blogger ignored the warnings, continued broadcasting, and later published the video without any editing," the Prosecutor General's Office noted.
In court, Angela Hurina pleaded not guilty, claiming that her actions were not aimed at violating the law. According to her, she did not see the military unit during the filming, and the military did not present documents or introduce themselves.
During the investigation, it was also found that the blogger has a Romanian passport, which was confirmed by the examination, and therefore, she probably has dual citizenship.
In December 2024, the Pershotravnevy District Court of Chernivtsi found Hurina guilty under Part 2 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court confirmed this verdict. The ruling entered into force and is not subject to appeal.
Anzhela Hurina is known in Chernivtsi as an anti-vaccine and activist with anti-Ukrainian views. She opposed the introduction of coronavirus restrictions and denied the pandemic. She gained popularity in April 2021 when she kicked out two police officers who were checking compliance with quarantine regulations from her own store. The blogger owns a women's clothing store in the center of Chernivtsi.
