A Russian penal colony transferred Ukrainian pensioner Halyna Bekhter to an interregional prison hospital on November 9 after she stopped eating altogether. Lawyer Irina Biryukova was allowed to see her and said Bekhter was extremely emaciated, struggled to remain standing and spoke only in a faint whisper.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the case on Friday, November 13. According to Biryukova, the 69-year-old had not yet received a diagnosis, while a panel of doctors and psychiatrists was expected to examine her records and assess whether her condition was linked to severe illness or stress.

Former cellmates and rights advocates had raised concerns about Bekhter before her transfer to the Vologda colony. They described memory lapses, an inability to care for herself, withdrawal from communication and progressive refusal of food. Reports from detention also indicated that she had developed cachexia, an advanced form of physical wasting.

Bekhter lived in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region before her arrest. Russian investigators alleged that in July 2023 she sent the equivalent of about $15 through a Ukrainian bank for the needs of Ukraine's armed forces. A Russian-established regional court sentenced her in March 2026 to 11 years in prison, with the term later increased on appeal to 12 and a half years.