15 July 2026
Main news of the week
▶ On the night of July 9, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck 45 targets in Crimea and the occupied southern territories. The hit targets include 12 tankers, the Saky CHP plant, and three occupation forces’ ammunition depots.
▶ This could complicate fuel supplies for the occupation forces and worsen Russia’s logistical issues in Crimea.
As a result, Russian troops and occupation infrastructure may face fuel supply disruptions.
▶ Over a three-day period from July 10 to 12, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck 55 vessels of the Russian fleet and shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov, including tankers, ferries, tugboats, cargo ships, and other watercraft.
▶ Meanwhile, the health condition of illegally imprisoned Crimeans in Russian custody has severely worsened. 71-year-old Halyna Dovhopola, sentenced on fabricated “espionage” charges, suffered a stroke and is now unable to move independently. On July 5, she was sent back to the penal colony from the hospital, despite her critical condition.
Crimes Committed by the Russian Federation
▶ As of July 14, 2026, 316 individuals on the territory of occupied Crimea are subject to political prosecution, including 169 Crimean Tatars and 1 Crimean Karaite.
▶ Crimean artist Bohdan Ziza, sentenced to 15 years in prison for an anti-war protest, has been transferred to penal colony No. 8 in Ulan-Ude. According to a letter he wrote, immediately upon arrival, he was placed in a disciplinary cell for 10 days, allegedly for “failing to introduce himself properly”.
▶ So-called “Supreme Court of the DNR” has sentenced Yuriy Kudrevatykh, a resident of temporarily occupied Alushta, to 13.5 years in a high-security penal colony on charges of “high treason.” Following the occupation, he was forced to obtain a Russian passport but later moved to Ukraine-controlled territory and joined the Ukrainian Defense Forces. After being taken as a prisoner of war, the occupying authorities prosecuted him for “treason,” treating his refusal to renounce his Ukrainian citizenship as a crime.
▶ Crimean Tatar political prisoner Lenur Khalilov is in critical condition in a Russian penal colony. Despite being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, he is receiving neither the required pain relief nor adequate medical attention.
▶ Ivan Yatskin, convicted by a Russian court on fabricated “high treason” charges, is experiencing progressive disorientation and worsening trophic ulcers on his legs due to inhumane detention conditions.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula
▶ The Ukrainian Air Force reported that the occupiers launched another series of massive combined strikes across Ukraine over the week. Specifically, they launched over 736 attack UAVs – including Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas types, as well as Parodiya decoy drones – from various directions, including occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. Additionally, the enemy fired two Iskander-M missiles and approximately 14 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles from Crimea at Ukraine. The adversary also launched 18 Kh-59/69 guided air missiles from the airspace over Crimea.
▶ In temporarily occupied Sevastopol, the occupation “authorities” have organized drone piloting and VR flight training for teenagers. They plan to involve approximately 300 children in these basic digital piloting and drone operation courses.
The resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea
▶The Russian Federation’s occupation “court” sentenced Mykola Semiletov, a resident of the Dzhankoy district, to four years’ imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony for allegedly making public calls for “terrorist” and “extremist” activities. He is accused of posting comments on Telegram calling for the destruction of the “Crimean Bridge” and the murder of Russians and political figures.
▶ The “ATESH” Partisan Movement has announced that it has carried out reconnaissance on the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border control unit in the temporarily occupied town of Dzhankoy and is gathering data on the facility’s activities. The movement claims that information regarding the facility’s location and the movements of personnel and equipment will be used for further strikes against Russian security forces in Crimea.
▶ An occupation “court” in Sevastopol has sentenced 55-year-old Volodymyr Zosych to 17 years’ imprisonment in a maximum-security prison for “attempted treason” and the alleged “unlawful possession of an explosive device”. According to the “investigation”, he was allegedly recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and tasked with conducting reconnaissance of the location of a Russian military facility.
▶ An occupying court in Crimea has sentenced a local resident to two years of forced labor, with a 10% wage deduction paid to the occupation authorities, over alleged public calls for “extremism”. Occupying forces claim the man posted a comment on social media inciting violence against a specific national group.
📌 The de-occupation of Crimea is an integral part of ending the war and restoring peace. Ukrainians are doing everything possible to stop the aggressor and protect the entire world from Russia’s criminal actions. Indeed, this is not a local or regional problem: Russia’s aggression poses a threat to the whole world and the international order.