During the third panel, speakers discussed mechanisms of international response, the documentation of crimes, and holding the occupying state accountable.

The discussion featured:

• Marharyta Sokorenko, Agent of Ukraine before the European Court of Human Rights
• Vitalii Sekretar, First Deputy Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol
• Elvin Kadyrov, Representative of the Commissioner for the Rights of Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol
• Alina Grigoras, Head of the Occupied Territory Unit of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
• Olha Skrypnyk, Head of the Crimean Human Rights Group

The panel was moderated by Sevgil Musaieva, Editor-in-Chief of Ukrainska Pravda

At the opening, Iryna Slavinska, Executive Producer of Radio Kultura, read a message from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dedicated to the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea. In his statement, the President emphasized that 12 years ago, when Russia invaded Crimea, the international community failed to respond adequately. This ultimately became a global lesson and allowed Putin to later occupy other territories of Ukraine.

Olha Skrypnyk highlighted that since the beginning of the occupation, Ukraine has been building a unique system for documenting the crimes of the aggressor state. She noted that this experience is invaluable on the path to justice, and the collected evidence has already formed the basis for numerous national and international proceedings. She also stressed that Russia rarely returns imprisoned residents of Crimea, particularly Crimean Tatars, reflecting a deliberate policy of pressure.

“The practice of suppressing resistance through the use of weapons and repression has been designed from the outset to be scalable. Russia aimed to occupy not only Crimea — and this was evident from the beginning of the peninsula’s occupation.”

Alina Grigoras emphasized that Russia introduces its own criminal norms and legislation, effectively expanding the powers of law enforcement and creating tools to persecute the civilian population. She noted that the number of court cases against residents of the peninsula remains extremely high. In Crimea, language, political positions, and any public expression of pro-Ukrainian views have been criminalized, and Ukrainian symbols are treated as “extremism.” She stressed that it is extremely risky for Crimeans to share information about the real situation on the peninsula, as it can lead to persecution and imprisonment.

“People are forced to leave Crimea because life there has become unbearable. It is important to understand that once someone leaves Crimea, their safe return becomes nearly impossible.”

Vitalii Sekretar spoke about the restructuring of the Prosecutor’s Office. He noted that the office has already filed 1,110 criminal cases, obtained more than 400 convictions, and held 11 Russian military commissioners accountable. He emphasized that the militarization of children and youth in temporarily occupied Crimea serves as a pathway to conscription in the Russian armed forces.

Marharyta Sokorenko pointed out that the persecution in Crimea is part of a deliberate policy by the occupation administration aimed at suppressing any form of resistance. She highlighted that since 2014, reports of missing journalists have been received, yet conducting investigations under occupation remains extremely difficult or nearly impossible. According to her, pressure mechanisms developed in Crimea have later been extended to other temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

“The policies that developed in Crimea have scaled horrifically during the full-scale invasion: the deportation of children, repressions, and crimes against humanity are only accelerating.”

Elvin Kadyrov stressed that one of the most pressing issues remains the systematic torture of Crimean political prisoners, the lack of adequate medical care, and the critical health conditions of many detainees. According to him, the Russian authorities are effectively sentencing people to a slow death in places of detention. He emphasized that the international community must respond more actively to these crimes and find ways to protect those unlawfully imprisoned.

“Currently, the world has no effective mechanisms to influence Russia — and they must be established.”

We express our gratitude to all participants of the forum “CRIMEA: The Home We Are Fighting For”, as well as the speakers for their participation and expertise. The forum became an important part of the shared dialogue on Crimea’s future, preserving memory, and strengthening efforts for its de-occupation.

Event Organizers: The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Office of the Crimea Platform, Crimean Human Rights Group, Human Rights Center ZMINA, CrimeaSOS