30 December 2025

WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA ON DECEMBER 30, 2025

Main news of the week

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported the strike on a temporary basing point for river boats of Russia’s 92nd Brigade in Olenivka. The strike was carried out with a Ukrainian-made missile, and a fire was recorded in the area of impact.

▶ The Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck military facilities in Chornomorsk, including the Valday radar station, a command post of a radar reconnaissance system, as well as a storage and launch site for naval unmanned surface vessels.

▶ The “Prymary” unit of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine carried out a strike on several military targets in occupied Crimea, including an S-300V launcher, an RSP-6M2 radar system, a Redut-221 command-and-staff vehicle belonging to the Buk-M3 air defence system, and other facilities.

Crimes committed by the Russian Federation

As of December 2025, Russia has unlawfully imprisoned 224 individuals in the occupied Crimea on ethnic, religious, and political grounds, including 133 Crimean Tatars.

▶ As of 16 December 2025, a total of 1,649 administrative cases have been recorded in occupied Crimea under the Russian article on so-called discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In 1,524 cases, the occupation authorities imposed fines or merged cases, while 13 cases remain under review. Among those prosecuted, 53% are women and 47% are men.

▶ A malignant brain tumour has been detected in Crimean Tatar political prisoner Tofik Abdulgaziyev, who is being held in Tuberculosis Prison Hospital No. 3 in Chelyabinsk. According to his family and defence team, his condition has deteriorated sharply: he has almost completely lost his vision, and access to adequate medical care is effectively absent. Abdulgaziyev was detained in March 2019, and in May 2022, he was sentenced by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don to 12 years in a strict-regime penal colony on fabricated charges of “terrorist activity.”

▶ The mother of Crimean political prisoner Teymur Abdullaev has reported that her son, who was sentenced to 16.5 years of imprisonment, has been placed in punishment cell (SHIZO) for 15 days in Correctional Colony No. 2 in the city of Salavat (Republic of Bashkortostan, Russian Federation). The punishment was imposed for his refusal to interrupt namaz during the entry of prison guards, who, according to her, deliberately conducted the inspection during prayer.

The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula

▶ Activists of the Atesh movement have carried out reconnaissance of the occupiers’ air defence facilities in Sevastopol. On the grounds of the 31st Air Defence Division of the Russian Federation, activists identified decoy military equipment, indicating attempts to mislead and conceal the site’s actual purpose. At the same time, there are signs of probable headquarters activity, periodic movement of Russian military personnel, and communications activity characteristic of a command post.

▶ On 24 December 2025, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian occupation forces launched an attack with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from the Hvardiiske airfield as part of a mass strike on the territory of Ukraine.

▶ On 25 December 2025, during a night air attack, the Russian Federation used attack UAVs launched from the area of the Hvardiiske airfield and the Chauda training range (temporarily occupied Crimea).

▶ On 26 December 2025, Russian occupation forces launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile from the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea. That same night, attack UAV launches were also recorded from the Hvardiiske airfield.

▶ On 28 December 2025, the Russian Federation carried out another strike using attack drones launched from the Hvardiiske airfield and the Chauda training area.

▶ On 29 December 2025, according to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian occupation forces once again used the Hvardiiske airfield as one of the launch points for attack UAVs targeting the territory of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion and the expansion of its military aggression across the entire territory of Ukraine, occupied Crimea has been used by Russia as an army base for projecting aggression in various forms. From the territory of the peninsula, the occupiers continue to launch strikes on Ukraine, including against civilian infrastructure.

The resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea

▶ For expressing solidarity with Ukraine, Russia is already persecuting 1,649 people in occupied Crimea, imposing administrative penalties in the form of illegal fines and arrests.

▶ Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement distributed ribbons and leaflets featuring the Ukrainian flag and the inscription “Crimea Is Ukraine” in Simferopol, Sevastopol, and Yevpatoria. In this way, the activists demonstrate that the peninsula is an inseparable part of Ukraine.

▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls continue to expose the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea.

The full-scale invasion has been 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 unite in resistance movements such as the aforementioned “Yellow Ribbon,” “Crimean Combat Seagulls,” “Zla Mavka,” “ATESH,” or act individually. To suppress the local resistance movement on the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea after 24 February 2022, the occupiers began actively persecuting and subjecting Ukrainian citizens to administrative liability under the article on so-called discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

The de-occupation of Crimea is an essential 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. This is not a local or regional issue — Russia’s aggression poses a threat to the whole world and the international order.