A year ago, on May 16, in Yevpatoria, Bohdan Ziza went out with two cans of paint – blue and yellow. At night, on the way to the occupation administration of the city, he recorded a video in which he told about his goal – to stop being silent and protest the occupation regime of the Russian Federation and the full-scale war. Putting the phone in front of the building’s door, he doused the occupation administration with paint he had brought, set fire to a bottle of Molotov cocktail and threw it through the window of the occupiers’ office.

He was detained the same night, fined for the so-called “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces” and charged with “terrorism” – Bohdan is charged with 4 articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: Article 205, part 1 “committed terrorist act”, Article 205, part 1 “threat of terrorist act”, Article 205.2, part 2 “call for terrorism” and Article 214, part 2 “vandalism for political reasons”. Now he is in Rostov, where he was illegally transferred by the occupiers.

“Anyone who does not publicly speak out against this war, who does nothing to stop it, is a passive accomplice in this heinous crime committed by the Russian authorities. I decided to do something to express my disagreement. It is savagery that we are witnessing a war of this magnitude these days. It is savagery that we are not trying to stop it. After all, I’m not being judged for paint and Molotov cocktails. They want to lock me up for my words, for my position, which is inconvenient for the occupation authorities in Crimea. But no amount of money, threats or torture will make me change my mind. I am tired of being afraid. I don’t want to run away in search of a better place to live. I want my home to be like this. My home is Crimea. My home is Ukraine,” the political prisoner wrote in his letter.

Bohdan Ziza’s action was the revival of large-scale resistance to the occupation regime in Crimea. The young man, whose youth was spent under occupation, showed that only actions and resilience can defeat the aggressor – and he continues to do so for the sake of liberating his home.

You can support Bohdan Ziza and write a letter that we will pass on to him. How to write and what to tell a political prisoner to get past the occupiers’ prison censorship: https://cutt.ly/n6gTC8q