On February 7, 2023, 61-year-old Crimean political prisoner Kostiantyn Shyrinh died in a Russian penal colony in the Orenburg region due to the denial of necessary medical care.

Russian occupiers detained Kostiantyn Shyrinh in Crimea on April 15, 2020, accusing him of alleged “espionage activities.” On October 15, 2021, an occupation “court” illegally sentenced him to 12 years in prison.

On June 1, 2022, it became known that Kostiantyn had been unlawfully transferred to a penal colony in Orenburg region, Russia. He suffered from cardiovascular diseases and required heart surgery. He repeatedly requested medical assistance from the detention center administration, yet no operation was performed. Instead, all his medication and his blood pressure monitor were confiscated.

Kostiantyn Shyrinh died in Penal Colony No. 5 in Novotroitsk, Orenburg region, Russia, on February 7, 2023. There is no information indicating that the Russians attempted to investigate his death.

Notably, this was the first known case of a Crimean political prisoner dying while serving a sentence in Russian captivity. However, it was not the last. Just three days later, on February 10, 2023, 60-year-old Crimean political prisoner Dzhemil Hafarov died in Novocherkassk pre-trial detention center.

The systematic denial of medical care constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights and serves as a tool of pressure against prisoners. Almost all Crimean political prisoners face similar conditions. As of today, the Russian occupation administration is illegally detaining 218 people, including 132 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, under fabricated charges such as terrorism, extremism, and treason.

Among them are dozens of elderly individuals and those with severe health conditions who are deprived of proper medical care. Many prisoners report serious health problems—some had chronic illnesses before their detention, while others developed them due to mistreatment, torture, and psychological abuse after their unlawful arrest. Their lives remain in danger.

Only the de-occupation of Crimea will guarantee the freedom of these unlawfully imprisoned individuals and restore a peaceful life on the Ukrainian peninsula, free from oppression and persecution.