An Irish citizen has been detained by Russian authorities since August due to messages on his phone which expressed anti-Russian sentiment, his wife has said.
Daria Petrenko (37), a Ukrainian woman living in Co Galway, has appealed to Irish authorities to intervene in her husband’s case.
Dmitry Simbaev (49), a dual Russian-Irish citizen, lived and worked in Ireland for more than 20 years.
Ms Petrenko said her husband has been charged with various offences under Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The specific articles – 205, 280 and 330 – refer to “public justification of terrorism”, “public calls for extremist activity” and “arbitrary action committed with the use of violence or the threat of its use”.
If found guilty, he could be jailed for several years or sent to a forced labour camp.
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Ms Petrenko believes the charges are frivolous.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is “aware of the case and is providing consular assistance”, but cannot comment on individual cases, a spokesman said.
It is understood Mr Simbaev’s dual citizenship has made intervention by Ireland more difficult.
Ms Petrenko believes Russian authorities think her husband’s Russian citizenship supersedes his Irish one and, as such, may not co-operate with Irish officials.
Daria Petrenko, wife of Dimitry Simbaev, said her husband has been denied calls to her and his parents, and that she last spoke to him on the phone in August. Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
She said her husband regularly visited Russia since moving to Ireland, usually returning annually to visit his parents. She does not know why police targeted him on his most recent trip.
Ms Petrenko moved to Ireland after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The couple met here and married in January 2023.
When Mr Simbaev went to Russia in August 2025, he was detained by police at Chelyabinsk Airport. Chelyabinsk is located in west-central Russia, close to the Ural Mountains. Mr Simbaev was travelling on his Russian passport at the time.
Ms Petrenko said police searched her husband’s luggage and took his mobile phone. She said police told Mr Simbaev they were detaining him because of “anti-Russian” content on his phone.
She believes this content relates to messages she sent him in 2024 in which she expressed anger at Russian authorities over the invasion of Ukraine.
Ms Petrenko said her mother died of a heart attack which she believes was caused by the stress of the war.
“They started bombing my city, Kharkiv… I lost my mother, my mother died. I wrote my opinion [in the messages] because of a difficult situation in my life.”
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Ms Petrenko has signed an affidavit, seen by The Irish Times, in which she confirmed she wrote the messages in question.
“I suffered the loss of my mother and other close family members and loved ones,” the affidavit said.
“During this period, I made certain communications via electronic messaging services … which … reflected my emotional distress at that time.
“I acknowledge that the manner and tone of those communications was inappropriate, and I regret any offence, concern, or distress that may have been caused to any person as a result.”
Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there has been a notable increase in prosecutions in Russia for online comments deemed anti-Russian or anti-government, Amnesty International has said, with many cases resulting in lengthy prison sentences.
Ms Petrenko said her husband has been denied calls to her and his parents. She last spoke to him on the phone in August. His parents have hired a lawyer in Russia and she receives sporadic updates from them.
Daria Petrenko said her mother died of a heart attack which she believes was caused by the stress of the war. ‘They started bombing my city, Kharkiv… I lost my mother, my mother died.’ Photograph: Joe O’Shaughnessy
“He has not been allowed to see his parents, not once in four months. Only the lawyer has contact with my husband, maybe once a week. I get very little information.”
John Connolly, a Fianna Fáil TD in Galway West, has raised the case with Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee.
In reply to a parliamentary question he submitted in December, Ms McEntee confirmed officials “are aware of this case and are providing consular assistance to this individual who holds dual Irish and Russian citizenship”.
“As with all consular cases, a dedicated consular officer has been assigned to the family of the Irish citizen who has been detained, and they remain in contact,” the Minister said.
“The consular officer has provided support and advice to the citizen and their family.”
Mr Connolly said he will “continue to raise the issue” with relevant authorities, urging them to advocate for Mr Simbaev’s release and ensure “his treatment there is humane”.