A military court in southern Russia will hear the case of a 43-year-old woman from the village of Kiankiz in Stavropol Krai who is accused of publicly justifying terrorism after reacting to reports of a Ukrainian drone attack. She faces between five and seven years in prison.

According to investigators, in April 2025 the woman posted a report on a messaging app about a drone attack on Chapayevsk in Russia's Samara region, adding comments and symbols that prosecutors say expressed approval of the attack. Prosecutors allege that she thereby publicly justified "violent acts of terrorism".

Drones attacked Chapayevsk on the night of April 5, 2025. Ukrainian sources said the target was Promsynthez, a company that manufactures explosives. The plant suspended operations after the attack. Russian authorities said there were no casualties.

Investigators allege that the woman held "radical extremist views" and was hostile towards representatives of the Russian authorities. They have not disclosed the content of her post, comments or the symbols she allegedly used.

Russia's Investigative Committee said the woman had admitted guilt and expressed remorse. In July, after she was formally charged, her mobile phone was seized and added to the case as evidence. Her name, occupation, the messaging platform involved and the restrictions imposed on her pending trial have not been disclosed.

The case was brought under Part 2 of Article 205.2 of Russia's Criminal Code, which covers publicly justifying terrorism using the internet. The offence carries a fine of 300,000 to 1 million roubles or a prison sentence of five to seven years.

The case has been transferred to the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don.

Courts in southern Russia regularly hear cases involving the alleged justification of terrorism over social media posts and online comments. On Aug. 11, the Southern District Military Court sentenced 57-year-old Vyacheslav Grishin, a native of Novocherkassk, to prison in a case involving calls for extremism and justification of terrorism.

Earlier, a 17-year-old from Stavropol Krai was sentenced to three years in a juvenile correctional facility for allegedly justifying terrorism in a social media post. In Krasnodar Krai, a 17-year-old girl from the stanitsa of Fastovetskaya was fined and placed under official supervision after authorities found symbols of an organisation banned in Russia in a drawing she had made on the pavement.