“I consider Ukraine my home; I love this country”. Closing statement of powerlifting champion Yulia Lemeshchenko, sentenced to 19 years in Russia

Photo: Yulia Lemeshchenko / VKontakte

The 2nd Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced 42-year-old Yulia Lemeshchenko to 19 years in prison on charges of treason, training for terrorism, sabotage, and preparing a terrorist attack. In 2014, Lemeshchenko moved from the Russian city of Voronezh to Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine with her husband and son. There she took up powerlifting and in 2021 won first place in the Ukrainian championship (weight category up to 57 kg). In the spring of 2024, the athlete underwent training in shooting, drone control, and the manufacture of explosives in Kyiv. She then traveled to Russia via third countries. In October, Lemeshchenko blew up power line towers near St. Petersburg, and then monitored Colonel Alexei Loboda, the commander of an airbase in Voronezh, who is linked to the bombing of Kharkiv. The saboteur was arrested in January 2025. Lemeshchenko did not deny the facts of the charges, but said that she did not consider herself guilty “from a moral point of view.” The prosecutor requested a 23-year prison sentence for her, she was sentenced to 19 years. Here is the closing statement of Yulia Lemeshchenko in court.

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As you can see, I don’t have any notes, I haven’t really prepared, but I think I’ll improvise. I will probably repeat some of the things I have already said during the hearings, but let this be a kind of summary in a general monologue.

So, as I’ve already said, in any war, there is a clash between sides, and each side defends its own truth, its own justice. I’ve taken a side. I am not a citizen of the country I have decided to fight for. Nevertheless, I consider Ukraine my home. I love this country, I love Kharkiv infinitely.

There‘s a district in Kharkiv called North Saltivka. About 500,000 people lived there, half a million. Some of my acquaintances lived there, including my hairdresser. After Russian shelling and bombing, not a single building in this district remains intact. Not a single one. I’m not just talking about broken windows—I’m talking about entire parts of buildings that have collapsed.

There were explosions right next to my house. My neighbor Anya lived on the first floor with her four-year-old son Nikita. A shell exploded right under their windows, under the first floor. The apartment was completely destroyed. I don’t know what happened to Anya and her son Nikita. I still don’t know if they are alive or not.

In this war, I lost friends, one relative—my second cousin—and my colleagues. War is terrible. I couldn’t just stand by and watch. In any war, people who find themselves involved in it either try to fight or run away. I don’t know, maybe they run away because of cowardice or weakness. I don’t consider myself a cowardly or weak person. I decided to fight against this—against Russian military aggression.

Perhaps what I’m saying is making my situation worse, but my honor and conscience are more important to me. I did what I thought was necessary within my power. Regret, remorse—well, maybe on my deathbed. But for now, everything is as it is. That’s it, I have nothing more to add. Thank you.

“I was defending my home.” What else has come to light about Yulia Lemeshchenko’s case in court

Before the start of oral arguments in the 2nd Western District Military Court, the testimony that Yulia Lemeshchenko gave during interrogations after her arrest in January 2025 was read out. It was read by Judge Vadim Krasnov.

According to the transcript of the interrogation, Lemeshchenko was born in Stary Oskol and lived in Voronezh. In 2014, her husband got a new job, and the three of them, including their son, moved to Kharkiv. She and her husband later separated. Lemeshchenko took up powerlifting, worked as a coach, and in 2021 became the Ukrainian champion in this sport.

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she initially left for Germany, but in 2023 returned to Ukraine and decided to join the Freedom of Russia Legion. In the end, though, she only passed the interview.

In the spring of 2024, ordnance exploded near her home in Kharkiv, blowing out the windows of her apartment. While the house was being repaired, Yulia moved to Kyiv, where she received training in shooting, drone operation, and explosives manufacturing. According to Lemeshchenko, the instructors avoided answering questions about which unit they served in. As compensation, she was promised Ukrainian citizenship.

“Did you obtain citizenship?” Judge Krasnov asked, interrupting the reading of the transcript.

“Not yet,” Lemeshchenko answered with a smile.

In August 2024, she traveled via Odessa, Chisinau, and Tbilisi to Voronezh, where she had once lived, and from there contacted the Freedom of Russia Legion. Lemeshchenko was given $1,500 and 300,000-350,000 rubles to prepare for an act of sabotage. She bought all the ingredients for the bomb and made about 10 kilograms of explosives herself.

In October, Lemeshchenko blew up power line towers near St. Petersburg. She was sent another 300,000 rubles for completing the task. In November, she was asked to find Colonel Alexei Loboda, commander of an air base in Voronezh: the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office suspects him of directing strikes on Kharkiv. Judge Krasnov asked why the defendant helped spy on the colonel. She replied that she wanted to be useful in the fight against those who were bombing her city.

“I was defending my home,” Lemeshchenko said.

“And you don’t consider Stary Oskol home?” the judge asked.

“My home is Kharkiv!”

In January 2025, while continuing to observe Loboda, Lemeshchenko assembled two more bombs. Shortly thereafter, she was detained. Judging by fragments of wiretaps, the woman had been under surveillance at least since December, after she traveled to Egypt to meet with representatives of the Ukrainian special services.

Judge Krasnov asked if she understood what the bomb was for. “Probably for some kind of new sabotage,” the defendant said, adding that other people were supposed to pick up the bombs.

“Were you told to blow up the entrance to his building?”

“No, and, of course, I would do no such a thing.”

During the investigation and in court, Lemeshchenko admitted to the actions she was accused of, but said that she did not consider herself guilty “from a moral point of view.” While in pretrial detention, she asked her relatives to contact Ukraine so that she could be included in the exchange lists.

Judge Krasnov asked why Lemeshchenko had chosen such a radical method of struggle instead of providing medical assistance to the wounded, for example.

“I can only answer with a rhetorical question: why does Russia resort to force and destroy Ukrainian cities? War has begun, do you understand?” Lemeshchenko said.

The judge countered that the war had already been going on for eight years at that point. The defendant replied that the conflict had been frozen by the beginning of 2022. She wanted to provide any possible assistance to Ukraine, and she was offered to become a saboteur.

“How far were you willing to go?”

“My actions should not result in human casualties. They listened to me there. We agreed on that.”

When Judge Krasnov pointed out that hospitals were left without electricity after the power line was blown up, Lemeshchenko replied that her goal was to cut off power to a drone manufacturing plant. She said that in Kharkiv, she and her son often sat without power during bombings, but she sincerely regrets that people in St. Petersburg could have suffered.

According to Lemeshchenko, during the investigation, FSB officers threatened to kill her. On one occasion, a security officer slammed her head against a wall, but she “tried to tell the truth.” She did not recant her testimony and did not complain about the pressure, as she did not believe that those responsible could actually be punished for it.

Editor: Anna Pavlova

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