Yulia Gaydukevich and her spouse escaped Moscow a year and a half ago with their teenage child.
As a same-sex couple with a son nearing 18, they felt especially at risk and feared being targeted by the Kremlin due to their sexual orientation, which contradicts what the Russian government defines as the nation’s “traditional values”.
They were also anxious that their son might be conscripted into the Russian army and sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.
“My wife and I could never discuss our family or our relationship openly,” she shared with RTÉ News.
She expressed concern: “My friends back home are facing significant issues right now.
Yulia Gaydukevich feared for her son’s potential conscription into the Russian army.
“They had to erase their social media profiles, which is deeply saddening because many people oppose the war, but there are also many who support it and back the government against us.”
In the early stages of the Russian invasion, Ms. Gaydukevich felt courageous enough to participate in a few small protests in Moscow, but the aggressive response from the police frightened her to the point where she realized she needed to leave her homeland, which she claims to miss dearly.
“I was genuinely terrified,” she reminisced, adding, “I couldn’t bear the thought of spending my life in prison, but I have immense appreciation and respect for those who remain behind.”
“I am abroad and I am free; they are not.”
Reports indicate that around one million Russians have departed the country since the onset of the war in Ukraine.
Now secure in Dublin, Ms. Gaydukevich has focused on aiding those who could not escape in time.
Her family has volunteered for the ‘Letters Across Borders’ initiative, which sends supportive messages to the approximately 2,000 political prisoners confined in Russia.
“Writing letters is essentially the last thing we can still do freely, somewhat,” she remarked.
She continued: “Yet, there remains a risk. Russians abroad still feel apprehensive and scared. We couldn’t discuss meetings or protests, similar to the massive demonstration in 2012.”
“I’m not a hero; that’s why I’m here in Ireland,” she stated, adding, “I am overseas and I am free; they are not.”
Yulia Gaydukevich volunteers for the ‘Letters Across Borders’ initiative.
Ms. Gaydukevich praised the support from the Irish public as “unbelievable”.
The organization has received letters from people of all ages to send to the prisoners.
“These letters can help make society more compassionate and better understand their plight,” she explained.
“We aim to create a connection [between the West] and those who have been imprisoned,” she added.
Daniel Klyuka: Sentenced to 20 years
Just before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, one of the first things 28-year-old Daniil Klyuka did was transfer money from Russia to his family in Ukraine.
“There was no way to send bank transactions at that time, so he sent us cryptocurrency,” recalled his cousin, 25-year-old Mykyta Laptiev, who relocated to Ireland after the Russian invasion.
Mr. Klyuka’s benevolent act would later turn into a severe miscalculation, resulting in severe consequences levied by the Russian authorities, costing him his freedom.
Mr. Laptiev remarked: “At the beginning of the war, Daniil was deeply concerned. He’s fundamentally a pacifist.
“He believed the war wouldn’t escalate and that we needed to avoid aggression here [in Russia]; we just needed to talk to Ukraine.”
At the war’s onset, Mr. Klyuka worked as an art teacher in a primary school in Lipetsk, a city southeast of Moscow.
His family noted he cherished this job as it combined his passions for teaching and creativity.
Daniil Klyuka taught art at a primary school.
Russian teachers are required to subscribe to local newspapers, which are heavily state-controlled and promote a pro-government agenda.
“These publications largely function as propaganda, depicting the government’s actions positively, and justifying the war in Ukraine,” Mr. Laptiev stated.
The trouble began when Mr. Klyuka started doodling on these newspapers, a coping mechanism to express his feelings and worries about his family in Ukraine.
“In Russia, discussing the war openly risks prosecution,” Mr. Laptiev noted.
He described his cousin’s drawings as “silly, childlike” art on the newspapers.
A military court sentenced Daniil Klyuka to 20 years in prison.
“He drew a comical moustache on an official in a newspaper photo and gave horns to another figure. He was expressing his emotions over the situation,” he said.
One day, Mr. Klyuka accidentally left his newspaper at work. When a colleague discovered it, they reported him to school management.
He was accused of displaying anti-war sentiments and “Nazism,” resulting in his immediate dismissal. The school forwarded his drawings to the FSB, alleging he had an interest in explosives due to his artwork.
“The FSB then raided his grandfather’s home where he was staying,” Mr. Laptiev said, adding, “They confiscated many of his personal items without providing any explanation.”
The Memorial Organization is an independent human rights project that documents illegal political prosecutions and offers assistance to their victims, such as Mr. Klyuka, who has been classified as a political prisoner.
According to his testimony on their platform, Mr. Klyuka recounted his experience after being summoned to the principal’s office.
He described his encounter: “I went to my former workplace and had only walked a hundred meters when a masked operation commenced – face down in the snow, a bag over my head, followed by captivity in an unknown basement.”
“I won’t divulge the details of what happened there,” he added.
The UN estimates that there are at least 2,000 political prisoners in Russia.
Activists and citizens living abroad suggest the actual number may be as high as 5,000.
UN Special Rapporteur Mariana Katzarova, an independent observer responsible for monitoring human rights in Russia, reported that repression intensified following the onset of the Ukraine war in 2022.
The Russian government has banned its citizens from criticizing the war.
Amnesty International states that under the censorship laws, even the smallest statements can incur a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Simply referring to the war as “a war” instead of a “special military operation” is deemed a criminal offense.
In 2023, prison sentences for anti-war social media posts lengthened, and in 2024, a new law allowed authorities to confiscate property of individuals charged under the war censorship laws.
The last time Mykyta Laptiev heard from his cousin was over a month ago.
Among those incarcerated is a priest sentenced to seven years for offering a prayer against the war.
Another individual, Vladimir Rumyantsev, set up a portable radio station to broadcast uncensored news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but was tracked down and sentenced to three years in prison.
Aleksandra Skochilenko replaced price tags in a local supermarket with small anti-war stickers. After widespread outrage over her seven-year sentence for her actions, she was released as part of a prisoner swap last year after serving nine months.
Others, including Daniil Klyuka, have not been as fortunate.
As per his family and the Memorial Organization, the FSB identified two cryptocurrency transfers totaling 120,000 roubles, which Mr. Klyuka was accused of sending to Return Alive – a Ukrainian organization created to support the Ukrainian military.
Mr. Klyuka was detained on accusations of financing terrorism – Article 205.1, Part 1.1, of the Russian Criminal Code – and treason for financially supporting a foreign state – Article 275.
“Imagine doodling, merely drawing silly cartoons, and being accused of serious crimes that ruin your entire life. It’s just not right.”
“The FSB claimed he was sponsoring terrorism through cryptocurrency transactions, but it’s impossible to track the destination of the funds,” Mr. Laptiev remembered.
“Daniil sent the money to me as a humanitarian gesture to support our family; he didn’t want us to suffer,” he added.
Mr. Laptiev said: “The FSB resorted to torturing him to falsely confess that he was funding terrorists, but he committed no wrongdoing.”
During the investigation and court proceedings, Mr. Klyuka admitted his guilt.
However, in a letter dispatched from prison later, he communicated to his family that he had been held in a basement and coerced into confessing.
This narrative is a common one among organizations that monitor human rights violations in Russia.
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Ms. Katzarova conveyed that the situation is so alarming that 12 children have been imprisoned on charges of “terrorism” and “extremism”.
According to Amnesty International, Russian schools serve as platforms for indoctrination and suppression of dissent, with the organization alleging that families are forcibly separated as a method of repression against both adults and children.
“Thousands of Ukrainians have been deported to Russia, facing forced disappearance and systematic torture, including sexual violence and rape,” Ms. Katzarova stated on the first anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death.
Campaigners reported that eight individuals perished in Russian prisons in 2024.
At least 120 are believed to be in immediate danger, prompting calls for their release on health grounds.
Russian officials have claimed that the West exaggerates the degree of repression within Russia.
RTÉ News reached out to the Russian Embassy in Dublin for comments on the allegations put forth in this article but received no response.
On 19 June 2024, a military court convicted Daniil Klyuka to 20 years in prison.
He will spend the initial five years at Vladimir Central, Russia’s largest prison.
“It’s not fair, and the worst part is that there’s not much I can do to assist him from so far away,”
Mr. Klyuka will serve the remaining 15 years in a maximum-security, strict penal colony, akin to the facility where Mr. Navalny was sent in the Arctic.
The last time Mr. Laptiev had contact with Mr. Klyuka was over a month ago.
Mr. Laptiev mentioned: “He’s frequently sent to ‘SHIZO’ [solitary confinement cell].
“There’s no natural light, no bed—just a mattress and a bucket for a toilet.
“You find yourself in a small cell that’s very cold, without access to proper food, health facilities, or even a standard bed.
“Often, you face 15 days of complete isolation, with no conversations—just silence.”
Mr. Klyuka’s family feels helpless to provide support.
“It’s an incomprehensible situation for us. It’s not right, and the most frustrating aspect is my lack of options to assist him from afar,” Mr. Laptiev expressed.
