05 August 2025
WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA ON AUGUST 5, 2025
Main news of the week
▶ On the night of 4 August, the Security Service of Ukraine attacked the Russian occupiers’ airfield in Saky, occupied Crimea, with drones. The attack damaged the depot where the occupiers stored their aviation weapons. One Su-30SM aircraft was destroyed and another was damaged. Three Su-24 aircraft were also hit.
Crimes committed by the Russian Federation
▶ As of August 2025, Russia had illegally imprisoned 220 people in occupied Crimea on ethnic, religious, and political grounds, including 133 Crimean Tatars.
▶ Political prisoner Yashar Shykhametov, illegally sentenced to 11 years in prison, was taken to the Russian Penal Colony No. 37 in the village of Yaya, Kemerovo region, Russia, more than 4,000 kilometers from Crimea. Previously, he had spent four years in a penitentiary facility in the city of Balashov, Saratov region, Russia.
▶ Crimean Tatar political prisoner Eskender Abdulhaniiev was illegally transferred from the Penal Colony No. 41 in Yurga, Kemerovo region, to the Colony No. 29 in the city of Kemerovo, Russia.
▶ Arsen Ibraimov, a Crimean Tatar political prisoner, developed bronchial asthma while being held in Russian detention centers. The prolonged denial of medical care and lack of proper treatment for bronchitis have caused serious health complications. The detention conditions are extremely harsh: the cold, damp climate exacerbates respiratory problems, and the food is monotonous and inadequate. Ibraimov has repeatedly suffered from pneumonia, which has also contributed to the development of asthma. His relatives say they are particularly concerned about restrictions on parcels, which can only be sent twice a year. At the same time, Arsen needs to take vital medication almost daily.
▶ Crimean political prisoner Volodymyr Yakymenko was held in solitary confinement in a Russian colony from July 15 to 24, where his health deteriorated significantly due to the lack of proper medical care and the onset of new illnesses. According to his wife, the conditions of detention remain extremely harsh: there is almost no communication; food and medical care are inadequate. In addition to his existing illnesses, which include chronic gastritis, a duodenal ulcer, a broken collarbone, and severe headaches, he has developed new ones: a stomach ulcer, vein problems, and deteriorating teeth. His family notes that after eight years in prison, Volodymyr’s health is rapidly declining.
▶ The relatives of Crimean political prisoner Ametkhan Abdulpavov suspect that his recent stroke may have been caused by physical abuse in a Russian colony. The political prisoner’s father emphasized that his son had no heart problems before his illegal transfer to a Russian prison, and that his condition deteriorated sharply after he arrived at the colony.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula
▶ Activists of the ATESH resistance movement reported on the decline of a military medical unit in temporarily occupied Sevastopol. According to their information, a special-purpose medical unit was located on the territory, which is currently experiencing an acute staff shortage. The territory of the unit is neglected, the equipment is damaged, and the level of security is practically non-existent. According to preliminary information, the command lacks the resources to support the unit entirely, so it may be disbanded soon. Agents also discovered a secret radar company in temporarily occupied Sevastopol. According to their information, the unit is located in the Fiolent microdistrict. It is a key element of the air defense system responsible for controlling the airspace over Sevastopol and the entire western coast of Crimea. During surveillance, agents managed to record the 55Zh6U “NEBO-U” radar station, which is capable of tracking aerodynamic and ballistic targets, as well as the antenna mast of a radio relay station that provides communication between command posts and other military structures. The facility is crucial for the functioning of the layered air defense system in the occupied peninsula.
▶ According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian occupiers carried out a series of massive combined attacks on Ukrainian territory during the week. In particular, 285 Shahed, Shahed-Geran, and Gerbera attack drones were launched, some of which came from occupied Crimea.
▶ Monitoring channels reported that Russian servicemen have stepped up patrols in the area of temporarily occupied Sevastopol to counter Ukrainian drones. It is noted that a mobile machine gun position was spotted in the Fiolent microdistrict on a pickup truck with a license plate bearing the index “21,” indicating that it belongs to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. A mobile radio-electronic warfare station, presumably of the Layer type, was also spotted in the area. Analysts note that there are several military facilities in the area of Cape Fiolent, including units of the 12th anti-aircraft missile regiment, a radio-electronic warfare station center, a radar company, a motorized rifle battalion, and other units.
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 resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea
▶ Russia is already persecuting 1,472 people for expressing solidarity with Ukraine in occupied Crimea, imposing administrative penalties in the form of illegal fines and arrests.
▶ A Bakhchysarai resident who works as a DJ in a local café played the Ukrainian song Hulianochka, which contains the lines “The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished”. The occupation administration deemed the song to be “discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation” and drew up administrative reports against the DJ and the café’s director. The case was then forwarded to the occupation “court”. The director was illegally fined 300,000 rubles.
▶ A resident of the village of Malokamianka in the Saky district anonymously expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on social media, did not recognize the Russian occupation of Crimea, used offensive language against Russian citizens, and spread Ukrainian national slogans. The occupiers detained the man, drew up reports against him, and transferred the materials to the occupation “court.”
▶ Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement spread Ukrainian symbols of resistance in the temporarily occupied cities of Crimea — Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, Yevpatoriia, and Bakhchysarai.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement continue to expose the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement held another campaign in the temporarily occupied cities of Simferopol and Alushta. According to them, such actions are intended to remind the occupiers every day that Crimea is Ukraine.
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 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.”
De-occupation of Crimea is integral to ending the war and restoring peace. Ukrainians are doing everything they can to stop the aggressor and protect the entire world from Russia’s criminal actions. This is not a local or regional issue but a threat to the world and international order.