09 July 2026

Crimean artist and political prisoner Bohdan Ziza has been transferred to a penal colony in Ulan-Ude

Crimean artist Bohdan Ziza, whom Russia sentenced to 15 years in prison on fabricated charges, has been transferred to Penal Colony No. 8 in Ulan-Ude, in Russia’s Republic of Buryatia.

Bohdan Ziza reported this himself in a letter. He also added that following his arrival at the colony, he was sent to a punitive isolation cell for 10 days.

“I am currently in a punitive isolation cell for failing to introduce myself exactly as required. They gave me 10 days. It seems to be turning into a tradition – starting life in a new place with an isolation cell”, Ziza noted.

In May 2022, Bohdan Ziza carried out one of the most high-profile acts of resistance in Crimea. He splashed yellow and blue paint, the colors of the Ukrainian flag over the building of the Russian occupation administration in Yevpatoria, and then threw a Molotov cocktail at it. He was detained a few days later.

During his detention, Bohdan was subjected to physical and psychological pressure to force a confession to fabricated charges of alleged “terrorism”. In June 2023, a Russian court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 15 years in a high-security penal colony. This verdict became yet another testament to the politically motivated repression against Ukrainians in Crimea.