17 March 2026
WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA ON MARCH 17, 2026
Main news of the week:
▶ On March 13, the “Madyar’s Birds” unit of the Unmanned Systems Forces struck a Russian Nebo-55Zh6 radar station.
▶ On March 14, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported successful strikes on Russian Iskander missile launchers near the villages of Vyshneve and Kurortne. The following day, Ukrainian forces also struck 59N6-E Protivnik and 73E6 Parol radar stations, as well as an S-400 Triumf air defense system.
▶ On the night of March 13–14, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (GUR) reported hitting two Russian vessels. The Slavyanin was disabled, and the Avangard sustained damage. Preliminary reports indicate these ships were being used to transport weaponry.
Crimes committed by the Russian Federation:
▶ As of March 11, 2026, 286 individuals in occupied Crimea are facing judicial persecution, 159 of whom are Crimean Tatars.
▶ An occupying court in Simferopol extended the pre-trial detention of Fevzie Osmanova, Elviza Aliyeva, Nasiba Saidova, and Esma Nimetulaieva. Russian security forces suspect the women of involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir (an organization banned in Russia). According to defense attorneys, the occupying administration conducted the hearings behind closed doors.
▶ According to his wife, the health of Crimean political prisoner Tofik Abdulhaziiev has severely deteriorated. He is reportedly in a semi-conscious state with high blood sugar levels. Despite the harsh conditions, Abdulhaziiev refused to break his Ramadan fast. Detained in 2022, he was sentenced to 12 years in a high-security penal colony on fabricated charges.
▶ Russian security forces have brought new charges against Crimean activist Oleh Prykhodko, including “assisting a terrorist organization” and “inciting high treason.” Originally detained in 2019 for an alleged “terrorist plot,” he was sentenced to five years in 2021. In 2023, the occupiers increased his sentence by 9.5 years based on these new charges.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula:
▶ The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Russian forces conducted a series of mass combined attacks this week. They launched over 1,300 strike UAVs (Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas types) and two Zircon anti-ship missiles, some of which originated from occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
▶ The ATESH partisan movement documented a Russian military train at the Dzhankoi railway hub. According to an ATESH agent, the train was transporting fuel, ammunition, and kerosene.
The resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea
▶ Yellow Ribbon activists highlighted the illegality of the sham “referendum” staged by Russia on March 16, 2014. Activists emphasized that no fraudulent results or propaganda can change the fundamental truth: 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.