Before being transferred from a PFRSI, a facility on prison colony grounds that functions as a pretrial detention center, to IK-6 in Russia’s Altai region, imprisoned journalist Maria Ponomarenko has expressed fears for her life and safety. This was reported by her support group.
According to the journalist, she overheard a conversation among facility staff. Her support group said the conversation allegedly included the phrase that “they would not kill her in the PFRSI, but would do it in Shipunovo at the hands of other inmates.”
Ponomarenko said she cannot confirm whether those words reflect reality and allowed for the possibility that the conversation was staged deliberately so that she would report it to the security services and then face a criminal case for false testimony.
Her support group said the imprisoned journalist asked that this information be understood as her account of an overheard conversation and of her own fears. She also stressed that she has no suicidal thoughts or intentions. According to the group, she is due to be transferred on June 19 to IK-6 in the settlement of Shipunovo in Altai Krai.
Conflict with a prosecutor
The support group said the authorities’ treatment of Ponomarenko in the colony worsened sharply after she tried to speak with prosecutor Dmitry Cherepanov, who oversees IK-6.
According to that account, on June 5 the journalist encountered Cherepanov in a prison corridor, greeted him and tried to address him. When the prosecutor walked past, Ponomarenko shouted:
“Don’t run away! Let’s solve the problems outside the public sphere.”
That same day, according to the imprisoned journalist, daily searches began, along with provocations, though no details were provided. She also said that back in 2023, Cherepanov had told her that she could file complaints, but would receive only formal replies.
Cases against Ponomarenko
Before her imprisonment, Ponomarenko worked for RusNews. In February 2023, she was sentenced to six years in a penal colony in a case over military “fakes.” In March 2025, she received a second sentence of 1 year and 10 months in a case over an alleged “attack” on Federal Penitentiary Service employees.
In early June 2026, a court in Altai Krai handed down a third sentence: 1 year and 10 months in a penal colony in a case over the alleged “disorganization of colony operations.”