Main news of the week:
▶ Crimean Tatar political prisoner Rustem Osmanov, who was illegally sentenced to 6 years in prison, was brutally beaten by representatives of the Russian prison administration. His ribs were broken, and he was not allowed to leave the punishment cell. His health condition is rapidly deteriorating, but he has not been provided with any medical care for a long time. Since he arrived at the colony, the administration and prisoners under their control have been subjecting him to constant threats, physical violence, and humiliation because of his Ukrainian citizenship.
Invaders’ crimes:
▶ As of September 9 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 September 9, there were 966 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 862 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 16 cases, the consideration of materials is ongoing.
▶ Crimean Tatar Akim Hafarov, abducted in Novooleksiivka, was illegally transferred from the Pre-trial Detention Center No. 2 in Simferopol to an unknown destination.
▶ Crimean Tatar political prisoner Enver Omerov, illegally sentenced to 18 years in prison, was transferred to the Penal Colony No. 6 in Yoshkar-Ola in the Mari El Republic in mid-August.
▶ The occupation “supreme court” of Crimea rejected the appeal against numerous cases of transfer of political prisoner Crimean Tatar Eldar Kantymyrov to the punishment isolation cell in Prison No. 1 in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region, Russia. Kantymyrov has been repeatedly subjected to punishment in the form of isolation on pretenses, which is part of the systematic repression of Crimean Tatars.
Forcible conscription:
▶ At least 932 soldiers of the Russian army were buried. 742 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 48 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 recorded the movement of a convoy of 12 trucks with occupation personnel from Krasnaya Polyana in the direction of Staromlynivka. In addition, in Sevastopol and other Crimean settlements, activists continue to observe the bases of the occupation forces, monitoring the movement of equipment and personnel.
▶ The occupation “administration” is taking measures to safeguard the “Crimean Bridge.” They are deploying barge-made barriers and Russian air defense forces to the structure. Additionally, they have started building duplicate structures in case the bridge malfunctions.
▶ Military trucks of the 12th Chief Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the storage, operation, and maintenance of nuclear munitions, have been spotted in occupied Crimea.
▶ The Russian occupying forces must frequently evacuate their air force personnel from airfields due to strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Propaganda of the occupation administrations and incitement to hostility:
▶ In occupied Crimea, the Russian administration has illegally permitted the issuance of free land plots to Russians who will sign a contract with the Russian Armed Forces and participate in the armed aggression against Ukraine, regardless of their place of registration. At the end of July, it became known that in the Kerch region of occupied Crimea, the occupiers had already formed a thousand land plots, which they planned to distribute among the Russian military personnel who participated in the war against Ukraine.
▶ The occupiers in Crimea continue to seize historical sites illegally. Another historic building in the center of Simferopol on Kirov Avenue used to house the Institute of Mineral Resources until it was sold to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
▶ About 700 schoolchildren and students from occupied Sevastopol took part in a propaganda event, “Serving the Motherland,” which was intended to legitimize and justify Russian aggression against Ukraine in the minds of young people.
▶ Illegal “elections” to the so-called “parliament of Crimea” and local occupation “councils” were held in occupied Crimea, which is a violation of international law prohibiting the aggressor state from holding “elections” in the temporarily occupied territories.
▶ In the occupied Crimea, the Russian administration has launched a campaign to advertise and popularize the Russian video hosting service Rutube to promote its anti-Ukrainian narratives among Crimean residents without restrictions on independent platforms.
▶ Due to the occupiers’ negligence, the energy crisis in Crimea has been worsening for over a month. The village of Oleksandrivka and the villages of Zapovit-Leninskyi, Milkovodne, and Pushkino have been added to the list of settlements with problems with energy supply. In general, the situation is difficult in Simferopol, Saky, and Dzhankoi, as well as in the villages of Vyshneve, Bila Skelia, Yabluchne, Myronivka, and Smarahdove, but the occupation administration continues to assure that the situation is under control.
▶ The water crisis in occupied Crimea continues to worsen due to the negligence of the occupation “administration.” The list of affected areas has now been expanded to include settlements left without water supply due to the drying up of rivers, residents near the villages of Topolivka and Partyzanske, parts of Sevastopol, Simferopol, and other settlements. As of early August, the total water reserves in the reservoirs located in the main riverbeds amounted to 141.93 million cubic meters, which is 15.92 million cubic meters less than in June.
▶ More than 10,000 children were illegally sent to occupied Crimea from different regions of the Russian Federation, in particular, Belgorod and Orenburg regions, allegedly for vacation. This action is yet another manifestation of propaganda and attempts by the occupying state to consolidate the myth of Crimea’s “inseparability” from Russia.
▶ In Simferopol, the occupation administration continues to destroy the city’s historical image by cutting down the greenery of Bitak Park for the illegal construction of a sixteen-story apartment building.
Civil resistance:
▶ Residents of Feodosiia chanted the national slogan “Glory to Ukraine” and sang the Ukrainian anthem. Russian security forces detained them, drew up an administrative report, and sent the case files to the “court.”
▶ A resident of Sevastopol who joined the Ukrainian Defense Forces was sentenced in absentia to 16 years in prison by an occupation “court.”
▶ A resident of Sevastopol organized a single picket because he disagreed with the actions of the occupation administration. Russian security forces detained him.
▶ Russian security forces illegally arrested a resident of Kerch, drew up an administrative report for “high treason” against him, and sent the materials to “court.”
▶ Russian security forces illegally arrested a 28-year-old resident of Sevastopol in September 2022. The occupation “court” sentenced him to 16 years of strict regime with restriction of freedom after release for a year and a fine of 450 thousand rubles.
▶ Russian security forces illegally arrested a 38-year-old resident of Sevastopol on fabricated charges of allegedly passing data on the movements of occupation troops to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The occupation “court” sentenced her to five years and three months in a penal colony.
▶ A 41-year-old resident of Zaozerne spoke negatively about Russian dictator Putin. Russian security forces drew up a report against him, and the occupation “court” fined him 30 thousand rubles
▶ A resident of Simferopol created a family group in which she spoke exclusively in Ukrainian, supported the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and criticized the actions of the occupation forces. Russian security forces detained her, forced her to apologize on camera, and sent the materials to the “court.”
▶ A resident of Yevpatoriia chanted the national slogan “Glory to Ukraine” and sang the Ukrainian anthem. Russian security forces detained him and forced him to apologize, after which an administrative report was drawn up against him, and the case file was sent to the “court.”
▶ Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement continue to resist the occupiers in Crimea, destroying Russian propaganda materials and distributing patriotic symbols in the occupied cities on the peninsula. Activists also call on Crimean residents to ignore the illegal so-called “elections.” In addition, the movement reported that the occupation administration had introduced mandatory military training for all third-year students at the so-called Crimean Federal University. This innovation has already been officially announced in several institutes: the Institute of Physics and Technology, the Institute of Communications and Information, and the Institute of Philology.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls continue to collect and disseminate personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea. They regularly disclose information about their places of residence, movement routes, and contact details. In addition, the activists inform residents about possible provocations by Russian forces, particularly on the occasion of the so-called “elections,” calling for increased caution due to the growing tension and danger on the peninsula.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to decorate the Russian-occupied territories of Crimea with patriotic inscriptions and stickers. In addition, they write detailed diaries that record everyday life under occupation, telling stories about residents’ resistance, difficulties, courageous deeds, and struggle for freedom.
The Mission continues to receive inquiries from Ukrainian citizens who want to leave Crimea because they cannot tolerate the occupation and total propaganda. We remind you of our instructions on how to leave temporarily occupied Crimea: https://cutt.ly/FwtiajlS
We thank the aware Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea for their prompt reports on the situation on the Crimean Peninsula, in particular on the socio-economic situation, the positions of Russian troops, the resistance movements to the occupation, etc. For more information, please send an e-mail to the press service of the Mission: [email protected]
Glory to Ukraine!