22 July 2026
Weekly update on the situation in occupied Crimea on July 22, 2026
Main News of the Week
▶ According to the Security Service of Ukraine, during the week, the Defense Forces struck at least 10 military, logistical, and fuel targets in the temporarily occupied Crimea. These included patrol boats, an airbase, radar stations, ferries, and storage tanks containing petroleum products.
▶ During a two-week operation, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces disabled approximately 75% of the Kerch ferry crossing. Its ability to support the occupying forces’ military logistics is now significantly limited.
▶ The wife of Crimean Tatar political prisoner Shaban Umerov reported that his health has deteriorated. He is suffering from heart problems, blood pressure, joint pain, and dental issues, but he is not receiving the necessary medical care.
Crimes Committed by the Russian Federation
▶ As of July 22, 2026, 316 people in the territory of occupied Crimea are subject to the policy of political persecution, including 169 Crimean Tatars and 1 Karaite.
▶ A court in Rostov extended the detention of six defendants in the “Hizb ut-Tahrir case” from the fifth Bakhchysarai group until October 14, namely Abdulmedjit Seytumerov, Remzi Nimetulayev, Ametkhan Umerov, Ruslan Asanov, Eldar Yakubov, and Seydamet Mustafayev.
▶ The health of the Seytumerov brothers and their uncle Seytmemetov, who are political prisoners, has deteriorated. They report deteriorating eyesight, heart problems, and other chronic illnesses. According to Abdulmedjit Seytumerov’s wife Amina, her husband requires constant medical supervision following surgery and complains of dental problems.
▶ The so-called Simferopol District Court extended the detention of Crimean Tatar activist Nariman Seitaliev, who is accused with “Hizb ut-Tahrir case”, until October 11.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion and spread its armed aggression throughout Ukraine, occupied Crimea has been used by Russia as a military base for spreading aggression in various forms. From the peninsula, the occupiers continue to launch attacks on the territory of Ukraine, including on civilian infrastructure.
▶ The Ukrainian Air Force reported that during the past week, the occupiers carried out another series of massive combined attacks on Ukrainian territory. In particular, they launched over 765 strike UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas types, as well as Parody decoy drones, from various directions, including from the territory of occupied Crimea and the Black Sea. The enemy also launched 2 Iskander-M missiles, 17 X-59/69 guided air-to-ground missiles, 5 Onyx anti-ship missiles, 1 X-31P anti-radar missile, and 4 X-22 cruise missiles at Ukraine from Crimea and the Black Sea.
▶ An exhibition was opened at the so-called Crimean Tatar Museum of Cultural and Historical Heritage in occupied Crimea. The exhibition is being used to glorify Russian war crimes and to militarize the population.
The resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea
▶ The occupation “Sevastopol Prosecutor’s Office” referred the case of a 57-year-old native of the Vinnytsia region to “court”. According to the so-called investigation, he allegedly planned to make an explosion near a monument in 2025. The man was taken into custody.
▶ A 44-year-old resident of the village of Ichki in the temporarily occupied Crimea was detained and accused of allegedly supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and calling for violence against the occupation forces. The man faces up to seven years in prison.
▶ Russian security forces detained two women on suspicion of “high treason”. A resident of Yalta, originally from the Mykolaiv region, is accused of alleged involvement in the bombing of a Russian serviceman’s vehicle, while another woman is accused of transferring 5,000 hryvnias to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces and gathering information on military facilities of the occupying forces.
▶ A resident of the temporarily occupied Crimea is accused of “justification of terrorism” due to alleged comments on social media calling for attacks on the occupation authorities. His case has been referred to a “court”.
The full-scale invasion was marked by a sharp increase in acts of solidarity and resistance by residents of occupied Crimea against the Russian occupiers. Residents of the occupied territories are uniting in resistance movements such as “Yellow Ribbon”, “Zla Mavka”, and “ATESH”, or acting individually.
To suppress the resistance movement of local residents in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea after February 24, 2022, the occupation administration actively began to persecute and bring Ukrainian citizens to administrative liability under the article on the so-called discreditation of the Russian army.
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. Since this is not a local or regional problem, Russia’s aggression poses a threat to the entire world and the international order.