Rory Finnin, Head of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge, during a lecture at the University of Notre Dame, mentioned his mentee, Volodymyr Ananyev — the oldest political prisoner held by the Kremlin.

“The Kremlin relies on our silence: it seeks to keep all political prisoners anonymous and to erase their faces from our memory. That is why today I ask everyone: remember the name of Volodymyr Ananyev and share his story with others — this is how we can draw public attention to those who need it most,” emphasized Rory Finnin.

Seventy-five-year-old Volodymyr Ananyev was a civic activist — in temporarily occupied Crimea, he engaged in legal and publicist work, defended landowners’ rights, and supported the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. According to the Russian fabricated charges, Volodymyr Ananyev, together with two other people, allegedly “planned to blow up a car belonging to a representative of the occupation administration in Crimea.” Under the charges brought by the occupiers, he faces between 7 and 15 years in prison.