Every day, our compatriots in temporarily occupied Crimea continue to tirelessly resist the Russian occupiers, demonstrating support for Ukraine and trust in the inevitable de-occupation of the peninsula.

In our regular column # resistance_movement, together with the National Resistance Center, we continue to inform you about public sentiment among Crimean residents and about the people who destroy Russian propaganda narratives.

Russia persecutes Crimean residents because of their pro-Ukrainian stance and manifestations of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identity. In 2022, Russia adopted amendments to the criminal and administrative codes, which provide for liability for the so-called “discrediting of the armed forces of the Russian Federation” to suppress the resistance and unwillingness of people to accept the occupation. The following recent cases are illustrative:

• A 59-year-old resident of Turhenivka village, Asan Buberdzhi, publicly expressed support for Ukraine and called for acts of resistance against the occupiers. The security forces of the occupation administration detained him. He is currently held in a pre-trial detention cell awaiting an unlawful “trial.”
• Oksana Senezhuk, a resident of Sevastopol, was detained by the occupiers under fabricated charges of allegedly providing Ukraine’s Armed Forces with information about the locations and movements of occupation troops.
• Muslim Aliiev, a political prisoner and figure in the so-called “case of the Crimean Muslims,” was placed in solitary confinement for 15 days after he continued his prayer (namaz) instead of interrupting it to greet the head of the penal colony who entered his cell.
• A resident of Simferopol, Dmytro Morozov, was detained by the occupiers for shouting the national slogan “Glory to Ukraine” in a city bar.

Every day, organized resistance movements, which gained strength after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, demonstrate their resistance to the occupiers:

• Resistance activists from the ATESH movement continue to gather intelligence on the occupiers’ military facilities. This week, they identified new fortifications near the village of Chornomorske and strategic sites such as the Saky airfield and a radar system base. Additionally, increased military checkpoints at all entrances to Yevpatoriia were documented, indicating an operation to track down underground resistance members. The growing protest movement in Crimea is facilitating the flow of critical intelligence, aiding in the destruction of military equipment and infrastructure, as well as disrupting Russian logistical routes.
• Activists from the Yellow Ribbon movement continue their fight against the occupiers in Crimea by dismantling propaganda materials and spreading patriotic symbols in cities such as Yalta, Yevpatoriia, Simferopol, and Sevastopol. Activists from Crimea and Donetsk also sent New Year’s greetings to all of Ukraine, expressing steadfast support and hope for victory.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement persists in documenting the crimes of Russian occupiers and revealing them to the global community, while adorning Crimean cities with patriotic symbols. Their actions not only boost the spirit of resistance among locals but also underscore that Crimea has always been and will remain part of Ukraine. Mavkas from Crimea and Luhansk also extended New Year’s greetings to Ukrainians, sharing their united hope for a free Ukraine, declaring, “We believe, we wait, and we help.”
• Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement tirelessly uncover collaborators working with the occupation administrations. They continue to systematically collect and publish information about collaborators and Russian war criminals operating in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

As of December 26, the Russian occupation administration has unlawfully detained 218 individuals, including 132 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people. They are accused of fabricated crimes such as terrorism, extremism, and treason—all part of Russia’s systemic repressive policy against the Indigenous Crimean Tatar people and those who oppose the occupation while striving to preserve their identity. The following recent cases are illustrative:

• Crimean activist Osman Seitumerov, unlawfully sentenced by Russia to 14 years in a maximum-security penal colony, reports recurring gastritis attacks while in detention. He is currently held in a prison in Vladimir, nearly 1,000 kilometers from Crimea.
• Historian Seitumer Seitumerov, who was illegally sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment, has lost 5 kilograms in detention and remains in constant informational isolation. Additionally, due to a lack of vitamins and outdoor time, his skin has become noticeably pale.

The increase in resistance is also evidenced by new unlawful administrative cases in the occupation courts of Crimea under the article on so-called “discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” As of December 26, 2024, 1,126 cases filed under Article 20.3.3 have been recorded in occupation courts in Crimea and other occupation administrations. In 993 cases, rulings were issued imposing administrative penalties in the form of fines or combining them with other cases, resulting in cumulative unlawful decisions. In 36 cases, the review of materials is ongoing. By gender, 442 (45%) rulings were issued against women, and 550 (55%) against men. The total amount of fines imposed has already reached at least 26.4 million Russian rubles.

We thank everyone for their courage and clear public stance. Crimea is Ukraine, and we are fighting together to return the Crimean Peninsula to Ukrainian control as soon as possible and to bring a sense of security to our citizens from the temporarily occupied territories.

Glory to Ukraine!