On March 9, 2014, in occupied Sevastopol, the Russian occupiers unlawfully detained Mykola Shyptur. This arrest became one of the first cases of politically motivated persecution on the peninsula following the start of the Russian occupation. It also marked the beginning of an 11-year wave of political repression in Crimea.

Mykola Shyptur was born in 1978 in Ivano-Frankivsk and was an active participant in the Revolution of Dignity.

In March 2014, Mykola Shyptur traveled to Crimea to support a pro-Ukrainian rally marking the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko, organized by the Ukrainian House in Sevastopol. During the event, participants recited Shevchenko’s poetry and sang Ukrainian songs to emphasize that Crimea is Ukraine. However, the rally was disrupted, and Shyptur was detained by Russian security forces and the so-called “Crimean Self-Defense”—a Russian proxy group that participated in the occupation of Crimea.

On April 28, 2015, an occupation “court” sentenced Shyptur to 10 years in prison on fabricated charges of illegal arms transportation and attempted murder. During the investigation, he was subjected to torture to extract forced confessions. Shyptur’s arrest marked the beginning of systematic repressions that continue to this day.

Mykola Shyptur served his unlawfully imposed sentence in Correctional Colony No. 102 (renamed “Colony No. 1” by the occupiers) in Simferopol, under horrific unsanitary conditions. On June 16, 2015, during the appeal hearing, the occupation “court” dropped the charge of illegal arms transportation and, for procedural reasons, reduced his sentence for attempted murder to nine years.

After completing his illegal imprisonment, Shyptur was released on March 7, 2023. In May 2023, he returned to Ivano-Frankivsk.

Shyptur’s case is a clear example of political repression in occupied Crimea. The Russian occupation administration continues to persecute and imprison Ukrainian citizens on political grounds. As of today, the Russian Federation unlawfully holds 220 political prisoners, 133 of whom are Crimean Tatars.