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 resident of Feodosiia opened an account in a Ukrainian bank under his name and made donations to Ukraine’s Security and Armed Forces through a charitable foundation. He was also allegedly passing information about Russian Black Sea Fleet military facilities to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The occupiers detained the man and unlawfully sentenced him to 15 years in a high-security penal colony, accusing him of “treason.”
• A resident of Yalta criticized the actions of the occupiers in Ukraine and the Russian president on social media. The occupiers detained the man and forced him to issue an apology on video.
• A resident of Simferopol District was accused of gathering information about the movement of Russian military equipment and the construction of a military facility by the occupiers, allegedly transmitting it via an internet messenger to Ukrainian Security and Armed Forces. He was detained, unlawfully accused of “treason,” and sentenced by the occupation “court” to 15 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
• A resident of Sevastopol was accused of photographing Russian military equipment and transmitting its location details to a representative of Ukraine’s border service. The occupiers detained him, unlawfully charged him with “treason,” and the occupation “court” sentenced him to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony.

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

• Activists from the ATESH resistance movement continue to gather intelligence on occupiers’ military facilities. They have identified the creation of new positions in Yevpatoriia and uncovered a hidden location for Russian troops and equipment in the village of Marine, Yevpatoriia District. Similar fortifications are being actively constructed along the entire western coast of Crimea. Additionally, the activists tracked and monitored the movement of a military convoy traveling along the highway to northern Crimea.
• Activists from the Yellow Ribbon movement persist in their resistance to the occupiers in Crimea. They destroy propaganda materials and spread patriotic symbols in occupied cities across the peninsula, including Simferopol, Yevpatoriia, Sevastopol, Yalta, and Alushta. The movement also published greetings for Ukraine’s Armed Forces Day from activists in Sevastopol, Simferopol, Yevpatoriia, Yalta, Kerch, and Dzhankoi.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to maintain its diaries and publish weekly updates exposing the crimes of the occupiers and spreading patriotic symbols. In Simferopol, activists prepared sweet treats for children for St. Nicholas Day while leaving “gifts” for the occupiers—garbage bags.
• Activists from Crimean Combat Seagulls remain committed to exposing the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea.

We should not forget about political prisoners who, even in inhumane conditions of detention, demonstrate steadfastness and resistance to the occupation regime. As of November 28, the Russian occupation administration has unlawfully detained 218 individuals, including 132 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.

• Teimur Abdullaiev, unlawfully sentenced by a Russian court to 16 years and 6 months, continues to suffer from ear pain and inflammation, along with persistent stomach, liver, and tooth pain, hypertension, and headaches. Despite his health issues, he is still held under harsh detention conditions in a colony in Salavat, Bashkortostan, Russia.
• Vadym Siruk, unlawfully sentenced to 12 years, experiences dental problems and frequent hypothermia in Correctional Colony No. 2 in Bashkortostan, Russia.
• Asan Akhtemov, unlawfully sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment by a Russian court, is rapidly losing his eyesight in the Russian prison “Vladimir Central.” This year, he also developed knee problems. Additionally, he faces food-related challenges: portions are small, meals containing chicken or fish are rare, and due to his religious beliefs, he does not consume pork.
• Aider Dzhepparov, unlawfully sentenced to 17 years, is facing significant health issues while enduring harsh conditions in a colony in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region. He lives in dilapidated barracks built during World War II, plagued by mold and inadequate living standards.

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 November 27, 2024, 1,093 cases filed under Article 20.3.3 have been recorded in occupation courts in Crimea and other occupation administrations. In 955 cases, rulings were issued imposing administrative penalties in the form of fines or combining them with other cases, resulting in cumulative unlawful decisions. In 42 cases, the review of materials is ongoing. By gender, 415 (47%) rulings were issued against women, and 539 (57%) 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!