08 October 2024
WEEKLY UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN OCCUPIED CRIMEA ON OCTOBER 8, 2024
Main news of the week
▶ On the night of October 7, the Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the offshore oil terminal in temporarily occupied Feodosiia, the largest oil transshipment facility in Crimea. It was a significant halt and a strike against the logistics of the Russian occupation forces in southern Ukraine and on the peninsula.
Crimes committed by the Russian Federation
▶ As of October 2024, Russia has illegally imprisoned 218 people in occupied Crimea on ethnic, religious, and political grounds, including 132 Crimean Tatars.
▶ The appellate instance of Simferopol’s occupation “court” upheld the verdict against Bekir Mamutov, editor of the independent Crimean Tatar newspaper Qırım. He was fined 130,000 rubles for publishing a report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which mentioned inhumane treatment, torture, and cases of abduction in Crimean detention centers.
▶ Illegally convicted by the Russian occupiers in the so-called “case of Crimean Muslims,” Server Zekiriaiev continues to suffer from torture in Penal Colony No. 1 in the Tula region of the Russian Federation. After eating and exercising, he vomits foam, has a constant bitter taste in his throat, and feels dizzy, indicating poisoning. Zekiriaiev’s health is damaged and continues to deteriorate. In addition, the Crimean Tatar is forced to breathe fumes from sewer pipes.
▶ Crimean Tatar activist Akim Bekirov, illegally sentenced to 14 years in prison by an occupation “court,” was illegally transferred from a jail in Balashov, Saratov region of the Russian Federation, to a colony in the city of Tsivilsk, Russian Republic of Chuvashia, almost 2,000 kilometers from Crimea.
▶ Crimean Aziz Akhtemov, illegally convicted by the occupying Russian “court,” is being held in the Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Earlier, the man’s wife reported that he was taken to an unknown destination. Aziz reported a problematic situation with food in the Russian institution.
▶ The occupation “court” sentenced a 47-year-old Crimean resident, a former civilian employee of the Ukrainian Navy, to 14 years in a maximum security colony and a fine of 400 thousand rubles. The occupiers falsely accuse the man of alleged “treason .” The verdict has not yet entered into force.
▶ In September, Rustem Huhuryk, a Crimean resident illegally convicted by the Russian occupiers, was placed in a punishment cell for 15 days without any charges. The Russian occupiers keep the man in a Russian colony in Buryatia, Russia, almost 7 thousand kilometers away from Crimea. In addition, during his stay in the occupation detention center, he faced psychological and physical pressure. For a long time, he has not received medical care, which has led to a deterioration in his health.
▶ The occupation “court” unlawfully sentenced two residents of the Kurmanskyi region to 6 years in prison for organizing a Jehovah’s Witnesses religious center. Russian occupants systematically persecute Crimean residents on religious grounds.
▶ The health condition of the Ukrainian civilian journalist and nurse Iryna Danylovych, illegally convicted by the Russian occupiers, continues to deteriorate. During her illegal imprisonment, Iryna began to have hearing problems (now she cannot hear completely in her left ear), suffered at least one microstroke, and had constant dizziness. Iryna Danylovych needs urgent, highly qualified treatment, without which she may not survive. In addition, Iryna is depressed due to severe health problems and the recent death of her father.
▶ The Russian occupiers transferred illegally sentenced to 19 years in prison Crimean Tatar activist and human rights defender Riza Izetov to a colony of the Russian Republic of Sakhi, 9,000 kilometers from Crimea.
The use of occupied Crimea as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine and the militarization of the peninsula
▶ According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers launched a series of massive attacks on the territory of Ukraine during the week. In particular, 2 Iskander-M ballistic missiles, 3 Kh-59/69 cruise missiles, and 137 Shahed attack UAVs, including from the territory of occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.
▶ An activist of the ATESH resistance movement scouted the logistics hub of the Russian Armed Forces in occupied Crimea. The occupiers transport fuel to mobile gas stations throughout the peninsula, and the biggest amount is sent to Krasnoperekopsk for further shipment to the front. The activists also recorded the transportation of missiles to the S-300 surface-to-air missile system near the illegally built “Kerch Bridge.” In addition, the activists told how they helped the Ukrainian Defense Forces to hit the marine oil terminal in temporarily occupied Feodosiia. For several months, ATESH collected information about the operation of the oil depot and the location of enemy air defense systems. All information was passed on to the relevant Ukrainian services.
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 has already prosecuted 979 people in occupied Crimea for expressing solidarity with Ukraine, who are being subjected to administrative penalties in the form of illegal fines and arrests.
▶ The deputy chief doctor of the Simferopol Clinical Hospital spoke negatively about Russian aggression against Ukraine and Russian war criminals, listened to Ukrainian music, and supported the Ukrainian Defense Forces. After being detained by Russian security forces, the man was arrested for 15 days and fined 50 thousand rubles by the occupation “court.” In addition, a joint letter in support of the man was demonstrated at the so-called “court.” The occupation forces threatened to inspect every person who supported the doctor.
▶ Yellow Ribbon movement activists from the temporarily occupied Crimea continue to fight for Ukrainian identity and freedom. They have found another way to express support for Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine by writing warm and inspiring words on the pages of Russian occupation newspapers. These newspapers are then distributed in Yevpatoriia, Sevastopol, and Simferopol. In addition, the activists disseminated patriotic posters in occupied Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, and Yevpatoriia.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement continue to expose the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals operating in occupied Crimea.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to write diaries, which inform about the realities of life in the occupied territories. In addition, the activists shared a photo of the occupiers’ oil depot burning in Feodosiia.
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.