03 September 2024
WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA ON SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
Main news of the week
▶ On August 29, in occupied Yevpatoriia, Russians destroyed the Holy Cross Exaltation Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine–the last Orthodox church of the Ukrainian Church in Crimea. The destruction of the church is a part of the Russian occupiers’ consistent policy of persecuting Ukrainian citizens on ethnic and religious grounds in the occupied Crimea.
▶ On the morning of August 29, in Bakhchysarai, Russian security forces illegally broke into the house of the mother of political prisoner Seiran Saliiev, a veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement, Zodiie Saliieva, and took her away in an unknown direction. The Crimean Tatar woman’s phone was seized, and she was taken to the building of the Russian law enforcement agencies, where she was held until mid-afternoon.
▶ On the morning of September 2, Russian shelling of Kyiv damaged the building of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea, including the mosque inside. The Islamic Cultural Center is an important center for all Muslims in Crimea and an important center for Crimean Tatars who have been forcibly displaced from Crimea due to Russian aggression.
Crimes of the occupation
▶ As of September 2024, Russia has illegally imprisoned 219 people in occupied Crimea for ethnic, religious and political reasons, 133 of whom are Crimean Tatars.
▶ The occupation “court” in Crimea illegally sentenced a resident of Feodosiia in absentia to 18 years in prison on falsified charges of alleged high treason. In February 2022, the Crimean resident joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Illegal court cases against Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea are a consistent violation of international humanitarian law. The occupying power is prohibited from establishing its legislation in the occupied territories and from “judging” the military personnel of another state.
▶ The occupation “court” illegally convicted the founder of the independent newspaper “Qirim” Seiran Ibrahimov of abuse of freedom of information and fined him 250 thousand rubles. The Russian occupiers are persecuting the newspaper for calling on Crimean residents not to participate in the criminal war against Ukraine.
▶ Five Crimean Tatars illegally accused in the so-called “case of Crimean Muslims” Tofik Abdulhaziiev, Vladlen Abdulkadyrov, Izzet Abdullaiev, Medzhit Abdurakhmanov, and Bilial Adilov –were rejected by the occupation “court” for dropping the groundless illegal charges. The political prisoners will continue to serve their illegal sentences in Russian prisons.
▶ Ruslan Nahaiev, illegally sentenced by Russia to 13 years in prison in the so-called “Crimean Muslims case”, is in deteriorating health condition, in particular, the political prisoner’s chronic disease has already entered the crisis stage. Earlier, Nahaiev had repeatedly stated that he needed a doctor’s help, but the Russian prison administration ignored his request.
▶ Crimean Tatar activist Enver Ametov, illegally sentenced to 13 years in prison, is deteriorating in prison No. 2 in Yeltsin, Lipetsk region of the Russian Federation. According to his wife, he has lost 15 kilograms. Enver has also experienced increased attacks of stomach pain, in addition, his hepatitis has worsened, his dental problems have also worsened, and his eyesight has deteriorated.
▶ Crimean Tatar political prisoner Rustem Osmanov was beaten, his ribs were broken and he is not allowed to leave the punishment cell in a Russian prison. He has not been provided with any medical care for a long time, and his health condition continues to deteriorate rapidly. The abuse of a political prisoner in a Russian colony can undoubtedly be regarded as cruel treatment and human rights violations.
Using the territory of occupied Crimea for attacks on Ukraine
▶ According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers carried out a series of massive attacks on the territory of Ukraine during the week, mainly on civilian buildings. In particular, they used 5 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 46 Shahed attack drones, including from the territory of occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
▶ Activists of the ATESH resistance movement determined that Russian troops continue to move ammunition, fuel, and mobile refueling stations due to frequent attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. To this end, they have begun construction of a new road near the village of Tymashivka. In addition, activists recorded the movement of gasoline tankers on the peninsula, tracked new storage sites, and reconnoitered the occupiers’ military facilities in Sevastopol and in Pryvitne village, Yalta district.
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion and spread its military aggression throughout Ukraine, the occupied Crimea has been used by Russia as a military base for spreading aggression in various forms. From the peninsula, the occupiers continue to attack the territory of Ukraine, including civilian infrastructure.
Civil resistance
▶ Russia has already prosecuted 943 people in the occupied Crimea for expressing solidarity with Ukraine, who are being subjected to administrative penalties in the form of illegal fines and arrests.
▶ A 60-year-old resident of Bilohirsk spoke out in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and against the actions of the occupation forces on a social network. He was detained by Russian security forces, and the case file was sent to a “court”. The man faced a fine of 30 to 50 thousand rubles and was forced to apologize on camera.
▶ A local resident of Yevpatoriia spoke out negatively on social media against the Russian occupation regime, against Russia’s aggressive war and the actions of its troops. The man was detained by Russian security forces, illegally fined 40 thousand rubles and arrested for three days. In addition, the man was forced to apologize on camera.
▶ A 37-year-old resident of Feodosiia spoke out against the Russian occupation and the actions of the occupation administration. He was detained by Russian security forces, and the case file was sent to the “court.” A criminal case was opened against the man, he faces up to 5 years in prison.
▶ A 56-year-old resident of the village of Rivne, Kurmansk district, spoke negatively about the Russian president. The man was detained by Russian security forces, forced to apologize on camera, and arrested unlawfully for 10 days.
▶ Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement continue to resist the occupiers in Crimea. In particular, patriotic flyers have appeared on the streets of Yalta Sevastopol Yevpatoriia, and Simferopol. In addition, activists call on residents to ignore the illegal elections of the occupiers to be held on September 8-9 and promise to destroy occupation propaganda materials on the eve of the “elections”. The resistance movement also reports that in higher education institutions of the occupied Crimea, Russian security forces are introducing compulsory military training for all 3rd year students, which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits conscription and military service for residents of the occupied territories in the army of the occupying forces.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls continue to disclose personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in the occupied Crimea.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to distribute patriotic inscriptions and stickers in the occupied territories, keep their diaries as well as distribute a weekly newspaper that reveals the crimes of the occupiers and informs about the realities of life in the occupied territories. This week, the activists actively distributed patriotic flyers on the streets of occupied Simferopol, reminding that Russian occupiers are not welcome in Crimea.
The full-scale invasion was marked by a rapid increase in solidarity and resistance actions by residents of the occupied Crimea against the Russian occupiers. Residents of the occupied territories unite in resistance movements, such as the above-mentioned 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 to prosecute and bring to administrative responsibility Ukrainian citizens under the article on the so-called “discrediting the Russian army”.
We urge the international community not to ignore Russian crimes against Ukrainian citizens in the occupied Crimea and to spread information about human rights violations in the occupation.