Main news of the week:
▶ On August 22, the Ukrainian Defense Forces hit and sank a fuel ferry in the port of Kavkaz on the Azov coast of the Kerch Peninsula. It was carrying at least 30 fuel tanks.
Crimes of the occupation:
▶ As of August 19, the occupiers have illegally imprisoned 219 people, including 133 Crimean Tatars. Of the total number, 43 are arrested (28 of them are Crimean Tatars), 151 are imprisoned (97 of them are Crimean Tatars), and 26 are without status (6 of them are Crimean Tatars).
▶ As of August 26, there were 943 cases of filing of reports under Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation to the so-called “courts” on the territory of temporarily occupied Crimea. In 836 of these cases, a decision was made to impose an administrative penalty in the form of a fine or to join the case to another case under another article and make a cumulative decision. In 18 cases, the consideration of materials is ongoing.
▶ An occupation “court” sentenced a man to 18 years in prison on trumped-up charges of preparing an “assassination attempt” on the so-called “head of Crimea” Serhii Aksonov.
▶ Civilian journalist and human rights activist Iryna Danylovych, who was abducted by Russians in 2022 and later sentenced to 6 years and 11 months in prison, began suffocating due to lack of treatment in a Russian prison. A medical worker in the Russian colony arbitrarily canceled the medication prescribed to Iryna due to a severe ear disease. Due to the lack of medical care, the woman stopped hearing in one ear. Her health continued to deteriorate rapidly.
▶ The health condition of the Crimean political prisoner, journalist Amet Suleimanov, illegally sentenced by the Russian Federation to 12 years in prison, has deteriorated criticaly after being transferred to the “Vladimir Central”, a Russian prison. Due to high blood pressure, the man suffers from constant nosebleeds, frequent dizziness, and shortness of breath. He needs urgent surgery to replace his heart valve. The prison administration is delaying the provision of medical care to the man.
▶ The occupation “court” sentenced a resident of Hurzuf, the Yalta region, to 13 years in a strict regime colony and a fine of 200 thousand rubles for alleged “high treason.” The occupiers falsely accused the man of passing on information to the Ukrainian Defense Forces that could harm the Russian occupation army. The hearing of the “case” was held in a non-public format.
▶ Employees of the Kherson Art Museum have identified three more paintings stolen by the Russians and illegally taken by the occupiers to Simferopol. These are works by Vasyl Kasiian, Ivan Hopkalo and Viktor Trubchaninov. Currently, 125 works of art out of more than 10,000 exhibits stolen by the Russians during their escape from Kherson have been identified.
▶ A Russian “court” continued the illegal arrest of Crimean Tatar activists of the so-called “first Dzhankoi group” even though one of the activists was absent from the session due to a severe contagious disease. The Crimean political prisoners will remain in custody until November 29, 2024.
Forcible conscription:
▶ At least 904 soldiers of the Russian army were buried. 719 of them were probably Ukrainian citizens. The number of burials may be higher, as many are carried out without coverage.
▶ The capture of at least 47 Russian servicemen from the occupied Crimea has been confirmed, most of whom are likely to be Ukrainian citizens.
Militarization of the Crimean Peninsula:
▶ Activists of the ATESh resistance movement conducted several successful operations against the Russian occupation forces during the week. In the village of Pryvitne, agents discovered the deployment of a new defense line of the Russian army, including observation posts and trenches near civilians.
▶ The occupation administration is building additional structures along the illegal “Kerch Bridge” that look like a parallel bridge. Presumably, the occupying power is trying to increase the protection of the so-called “Kerch Bridge” from potential Ukrainian attacks.
Propaganda of the occupation administrations and incitement to hostility:
▶ Due to the occupiers’ negligence, the energy crisis continues in Crimea. Thousands of residents in Simferopol, Saky, Dzhankoi, and the villages of Vyshneve, Bila Skelia, Yabluchne, Myronivka, Smarahdove, and other settlements have problems with electricity, but the occupation administration continues to claim that the situation is under control.
▶ On August 22, in honor of the “State Flag Day of the Russian Federation,” Russian political parties organized PR events, including the distribution of flags and balloons with stickers in the form of the Russian tricolor, which took place on the eve of the next illegal elections to the so-called “parliament of Crimea” and local occupation “councils,” which is another manifestation of the occupying power’s violation of international law.
Civil resistance:
▶ A resident of Feodosiia spoke negatively about Russian security forces, occupation troops, and the actions of the occupying country. The occupation administration detained him, sent the case file to the “court.”
▶ A 54-year-old resident of Sevastopol spoke negatively about the actions of the occupation forces in one of the Internet messengers. Russian security forces detained him, drew up an administrative report, and sent the case file to the “court.” The man faces up to five years in prison.
▶ The occupation administration detained three residents of the peninsula, accusing them of planning to undermine a pumping station.
▶ Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement continue to resist the occupiers in Crimea, spreading patriotic symbols in the occupied cities on the peninsula. The activists organized mass rallies on Ukraine’s National Flag Day and Independence Day. In the cities of occupied Crimea, activists raised and painted Ukrainian national flags on buildings.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement do not stop their activities aimed at exposing the identities of collaborators and Russian war criminals on the occupied peninsula.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to distribute patriotic inscriptions and stickers in the occupied territories, write their diaries, and distribute a weekly newspaper that reveals the occupiers’ crimes and informs about the realities of life in the occupied territories. The activists also held campaigns to destroy Russian flags and other occupation symbols on the occasion of the National Flag Day and Independence Day of Ukraine.
Glory to Ukraine!