24 December 2024
WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA ON DECEMBER 24, 2024
Main news of the week
▶ Kherson activist Iryna Horobtsova, who was illegally transferred to occupied Crimea by the Russian occupiers and sentenced to 10 years in prison, does not receive medical care. Iryna Horobtsova currently reports that she suffers from severe headaches but does not receive any medical care or medication, even in the packages. On the eve of her detention, before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Iryna was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, a condition that requires medical care and supervision.
Crimes committed by the Russian Federation
▶ As of December 2024, Russia has illegally imprisoned 218 people in occupied Crimea on ethnic, religious, and political grounds, including 132 Crimean Tatars.
▶ Civilian journalist Ernes Ametov, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Russian occupiers for covering human rights violations in occupied Crimea, lost 10 kg in Russian custody due to deteriorating health. The Crimean Tatar needs vitamins to maintain his health, but the administration of the Russian colony refuses to provide him with medical care or even the necessary vitamins.
▶ Civilian journalist Ernes Ametov, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Russian occupiers for covering human rights violations in occupied Crimea, lost 10 kg in Russian custody due to deteriorating health. The Crimean Tatar needs vitamins to maintain his health, but the administration of the Russian colony refuses to provide him with medical care or even the necessary vitamins.
▶ Oleksii Kyselov, a retired Ukrainian naval officer who was unlawfully abducted by the Russian occupiers in Henichesk, Kherson region, in 2022, was transferred from the Russian prison “Vladimir Central” to a remote high-security colony in the Arctic Circle, located 3800 kilometers away from the political prisoner’s home.
▶ The occupation “court” illegally sentenced a resident of Sevastopol to 10 years in a maximum security colony for allegedly participating in an “informal pro-Ukrainian movement.” The Russian occupiers, contrary to international law, are imposing their legislation on the occupied territories of Ukraine and persecuting residents on ethnic grounds.
▶ Crimean Tatar Appaz Kurtamet, illegally sentenced by the Russian occupiers to seven years in prison, was transferred unlawfully to the Pskov region of the Russian Federation, more than 2,000 kilometers from Crimea.
▶ Crimean imam Raif Fevziiev, illegally sentenced to 17 years, was taken unlawfully from the Pre-trial Detention Center No. 3 in Novocherkassk, Rostov region. His wife, Liana Fevziieva, does not know where he will be transferred.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula
▶ According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian occupiers conducted a series of attacks across Ukraine over the past week. These included strikes with five Iskander-M ballistic missiles launched, among other locations, from occupied Crimea and the Black Sea region. The Russian invaders targeted southern regions of Ukraine with these missile strikes.
▶ Activists of the ATESH movement continue to systematically identify strategic military facilities and resources of Russian occupiers in Crimea. For instance, Russian ammunition and equipment depots were documented near the village of Sieverne in the Yevpatoriia district. Additionally, activists have identified the movement routes and locations of personnel of the occupying army. Furthermore, a fuel and military equipment depot belonging to the invaders was discovered near the village of Kamenolomnia in the same Yevpatoriia district.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion and expanded its military aggression across Ukraine, occupied Crimea has been used as a military base to support various forms of aggression. From the peninsula, the occupiers continue to launch strikes on Ukrainian territory, including attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea
▶ Russia has already prosecuted 1126 people in occupied Crimea for expressing solidarity with Ukraine, who are being subjected to administrative penalties in the form of illegal fines and arrests.
A resident of Simferopol expressed waiting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in social networks and supported Ukraine. Russian security forces illegally detained the man. A report has been drawn for allegedly “discrediting the Russian army,” and the materials have been sent to court.
▶ In Sevastopol, a 42-year-old resident publicly condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the actions of Russian military forces during a conversation with coworkers. The man was detained by occupation security forces on charges of allegedly “discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” An administrative offense protocol was filed against him.
▶ Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement carried out a series of actions in occupied Crimea. Patriotic stickers, ribbons, and decals appeared on the streets of Yevpatoria, Yalta, Simferopol, and Sevastopol. In the heart of occupied Crimea, residents continue to show the occupiers that the peninsula awaits de-occupation. Additionally, Yellow Ribbon activists report that under the pretext of reconstruction, Russian occupiers have nearly destroyed another green zone in occupied Crimea, specifically a park in Sevastopol. The Russians continue to eliminate important landmarks in Sevastopol: in December alone, reports surfaced about the destruction of the Sevastopol Wine Factory and Shmatko’s decorative pigeon house. The stated reason for dismantling the pigeon house was its registration under Ukrainian documents before the Russian occupation of the peninsula.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement congratulated Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk from Crimea and emphasized that Crimean residents continue to support Ukrainian athletes.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to post the diaries, informing about the realities of life in the occupied territories. The activists distributed patriotic postcards for St. Nicholas Day on the streets of occupied Sevastopol.
The full-scale invasion was marked by a rapid increase in solidarity and resistance actions by residents of occupied Crimea against the Russian occupiers. Residents of occupied territories unite in resistance movements, such as Yellow Ribbon, Crimean Combat Seagulls, Zla Mavka, and ATESH, or act individually. To suppress the resistance movement of residents in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea after February 24, 2022, the occupiers actively began prosecuting and bringing Ukrainian citizens to administrative responsibility under the article on the so-called “discrediting the Russian army.”
