Every day, the citizens of Ukraine continue to tirelessly resist the Russian occupation, demonstrating their resilience, courage, and unwavering support for Ukraine. This resistance has intensified significantly since the start of the full-scale invasion.

To suppress this resistance and the population’s refusal to accept the occupation, the Russian Federation adopted amendments to its criminal and administrative codes in 2022, introducing liability for so-called “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.”

The Mission monitors relevant court decisions in the occupation registers. As of September 20, 2024, 979 cases have been recorded under Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation by the so-called “courts” and other authorities in occupied Crimea.

In 875 of these cases, a decision was made to impose an administrative penalty in the form of a fine or to combine the case with another under a different article, resulting in a cumulative decision. In 17 cases, the materials are still under consideration. The total amount of fines imposed has reached at least 26.4 million Russian rubles.

In terms of gender, 377 (43%) of the decisions were issued against women, and 497 (57%) against men. This indicates that nearly every second person persecuted in temporarily occupied Crimea for their pro-Ukrainian stance, and subjected to pressure and threats from the occupiers, is a woman.

The reasons for these illegal detentions include posts and comments on social media in support of Ukraine, the sharing of Ukrainian songs, displaying Ukrainian state symbols, and condemning the occupiers. The following recent cases are illustrative:

• The Russian Federal Security Service detained two women in Sevastopol who allegedly transmitted information about the occupiers’ military facilities to mainland Ukraine.
• A Crimean resident criticized the occupiers on social media and accused the Russian army of war crimes. She was detained by the occupiers and forced to issue a video apology.
• A resident of Armiansk expressed support for Ukraine on social media, awaited the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and criticized the occupiers. She was detained, forced to apologize on video, and her case was transferred to an illegal “court.”
• A resident of Sevastopol criticized the occupiers on social media and expressed hope for the arrival of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. She was detained by the occupiers, forced to apologize on video, and an Administrative Procedure Act was filed before the materials were sent to an illegal “court.”
• Another resident of Sevastopol criticized the actions of the Russian military against Ukraine during a conversation with colleagues. She was detained, coerced to apologize on video, and an Administrative Procedure Act was drawn up. She faces an illegal fine.
• A resident of Yalta posted comments on social media denouncing the occupiers. She was detained, and her case file was sent to the occupation “court.”
• In the village of Soniachna Dolyna, Feodosiia region, a resident expressed hope on social media for the liberation of Crimea, supported the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and wished Ukraine victory. The occupiers filed an “Administrative Procedure Act” against her for allegedly “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces,” and the materials were sent to the “court.”

This once again proves that women’s resistance to the occupation in Crimea exists, is powerful, and demands that the heroic deeds of Ukrainian citizens be made visible.

Every day, the activists of the Zla Mavka movement demonstrate their resistance to the occupiers, risking their safety by distributing patriotic leaflets, stickers, and other materials in the occupied cities of Crimea. They publish diaries about the occupation, distribute weekly reports on the occupiers’ crimes, and circulate “rubles” with designs reminding everyone that Crimea is Ukraine. The movement’s activists exploit the deep-rooted misogyny of the occupiers, who never suspected that women could play an active role in the resistance and help bring Ukraine’s victory closer.