19 May 2026
Weekly update on the situation in occupied Crimea on May 19, 2026
Main News of the Week
▶ The European Court of Human Rights has officially begun considering two complaints filed by Crimean journalist and political prisoner Iryna Danylovych against Russia. The first complaint concerns her illegal deprivation of liberty following her detention by the FSB in 2022 and her being held incommunicado. The second concerns the inclusion of Iryna Danylovych in the Russian register of so-called foreign agents and the related restrictions.
▶ On May 14, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported hitting an enemy logistics warehouse in Perevalne, and later, a communication hub in Myrne.
▶ On May 15, the Unmanned Systems Forces struck an anti-aircraft missile and gun system in the Saky district, and on May 17, they struck a Russian mobile air defense group.
Crimes Committed by the Russian Federation
▶ As of April 23, 2026, 303 people in the territory of occupied Crimea are subject to the policy of political persecution, 164 of whom are Crimean Tatars and 1 is a Karaite.
▶ The occupation administration detained four residents of the Dzhankoi district on suspicion of organizing the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which are banned in the RF. The occupation administration accused the men of holding online meetings, distributing organizational materials, recruiting new supporters, and collecting and further distributing donations. During the searches, literature described by the occupation administration as so-called extremist was also seized.
▶ The health of political prisoner Halyna Dovhopolova has deteriorated. The woman is held in harsh conditions and requires urgent joint replacement surgery. Furthermore, she stated that she has filed a petition to renounce her Russian citizenship and emphasized that she does not plan to return to Crimea under the conditions of occupation. In 2019, the occupation administration conducted searches at her home in Sevastopol and detained her. Galyna was subsequently accused of so-called state treason and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
▶ The health of citizen journalist Osman Arifmimetov has deteriorated. The political prisoner suffers from pain in his teeth, gums, and spine. The man is serving his sentence in a strict-regime colony in the Orenburg region of the RF. In 2019, the occupation administration detained Osman following mass searches of Crimean Tatar homes, and in 2022, a Russian court sentenced him to 14 years in prison in a fabricated case.
▶ Lutfiye Zudiyeva, a journalist and human rights activist, announced the preparation of a complaint to the Supreme Court of the RF regarding her recognition as a so-called foreign agent. The previous three court instances refused to satisfy the lawsuits to cancel this status; however, she plans to continue the appeal. Also, on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, Russian invaders visited the journalist and two other women. They were served or faced attempts to be served with “warnings regarding liability” for holding allegedly “unauthorized” actions prior to May 18.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula
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 Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russian invaders carried out another series of massive combined attacks on the territory of Ukraine during the week. In particular, they launched over 2,000 strike UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera, and Italmas types, as well as Parodiia decoy drones. They also launched 8 Iskander-K cruise missiles, 1 Kh-35 anti-ship missile, and 14 Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles, including from the territory of occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
▶ The monitoring group Crimean Wind reported the presence of ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Southern Bay of Sevastopol. A Project 775 large landing ship was also recorded at the Sevmorzavod pier, likely undergoing repairs or being used for cover. Additionally, one of the bulk carriers left the Yalta Bay and headed to Sevastopol to be loaded with stolen Ukrainian grain.
The resistance movement of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea
▶ The ATESH resistance movement reported that the command of the Russian occupation army is transferring specialists from the Black Sea Fleet to the newly created unmanned systems troops. Specifically, activists report that the reason for this decision is significant fleet losses and the need to man new unmanned systems units.
The full-scale invasion was marked by a sharp increase in acts of solidarity and resistance by the residents of occupied Crimea against the Russian invaders. Residents of the occupied territories unite in resistance movements, such as Yellow Ribbon, Zla Mavka, and ATESH, or act individually.
To suppress the resistance movement of local residents in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea after February 24, 2022, the occupation administration actively began to persecute and bring Ukrainian citizens to administrative liability under the article on the so-called discrediting the Russian army.
De-occupation of Crimea is an integral 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. Since this is not a local or regional problem, Russia’s aggression poses a threat to the entire world and the international order.