Moscow Court Jails Ex-Ukrainian Presidential Aide Oleksiy Arestovych 11 Years in Absentia

Aug. 28, 2026 Oleksiy Arestovych. President.gov.ua A judge in Moscow on Friday sentenced Oleksiy Arestovych, a former adviser to the Ukrainian president’s office, to 11 years in prison in absentia after finding him guilty of spreading false information about the Russian military and publicly calling for terrorism. Russian investigators accused Arestovych of publishing false statements about a deadly Russian missile strike on a railway station in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in April 2022. Prosecutors also accused Arestovych of calling on Ukrainians to sabotage railway lines used to resupply Russian troops in a March 2022 video. A judge from the Second Western District Military Court delivered the guilty verdict against Arestovych following a closed-door trial. In addition to the 11-year prison sentence, the judge also banned Arestovych from managing websites for four years. Prosecutors had requested a sentence of 15 years in prison for Arestovych, according to the exiled news outlet Mediazona. “What a sophisticated cover-up operation,” Arestovych wrote on Telegram in response to the court ruling. Arestovych served as an adviser to the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office until January 2023, when he resigned after claiming a Ukrainian air defense missile caused a deadly strike on an apartment in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro. He has since recast himself as a critic of the Ukrainian government and amassed an online following on his YouTube channel. Arestovych now lives outside of Ukraine. Zelensky sanctioned him last year. Russia added Arestovych to its list of “terrorists and extremists” in May 2023 and placed him on its wanted list in October 2023. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court placed Arestovych in pre-trial detention in absentia in February 2024. Read more about: Ukraine , Court cases Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Finnish Court Sentences Russian Ultranationalist to Life in Prison for War Crimes in Ukraine Vojislav Torden received a life prison sentence for war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014, including the mutilation of a wounded Ukrainian soldier. 1 Min read Russian Man Jailed 13 Years for Donating $54 to Ukrainian Army Alexander Kraychik was found guilty of “high treason” after he provided “financial assistance” aimed “against the security of the Russian Federation... 1 Min read Moscow Court Jails Ukrainian TV Presenter 8 Years in Absentia for Inciting Hatred Authorities accused Yanina Sokolova of “openly threatening the Russian people, emphasizing the need for their merciless destruction.” 1 Min read Russia Puts Elderly American on Trial for ‘Fighting’ in Ukraine State media identified the man as a 72-year-old Michigan native who moved to Ukraine in 2014. 1 Min read