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, 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 Simferopol posted patriotic messages and Ukrainian symbols on social media. The occupiers detained the man, forced him to apologize on video, filed a protocol, and referred his case to the occupation “court.”
• A resident of Feodosiia criticized the occupiers and expressed support for the actions of Ukraine’s Security and Armed Forces in messaging apps. The occupiers detained the woman, prepared a protocol, and sent the materials to the occupation “court.”
• A resident of Simferopol shared a video on social media criticizing the Russian pension reform along with a post questioning, “Why do we need Crimea and Donbas at such an exorbitant price?” The occupiers detained the pensioner, and the occupation “court” fined her 40,000 rubles for “discrediting the Russian army.”

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 of the ATESH resistance movement continue gathering intelligence on the occupiers’ military facilities. They have identified a Pantsir-S1 air defense system protecting key sites in Sevastopol and documented fortifications along the coastline near Yevpatoriia, including trenches, firing points, and strongholds. The occupiers are actively deploying conscripts to work and guard these fortifications. Additionally, the activists report that the occupiers are relocating air defense systems from Yevpatoriia to bolster the protection of the Kerch Bridge.
• The Yellow Ribbon movement continues its resistance in Crimea by destroying propaganda materials and spreading patriotic symbols in occupied cities, including Sevastopol, Simferopol, and Yalta. Activists also raised the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag on the highest peak of the Baydar Yaila mountain range, Mount Ilyas-Kaya, and announced a nationwide Yellow Ribbon campaign on the Day of Dignity and Freedom to support civilian resistance in Russian-occupied territories.
• Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement persist in exposing the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to maintain its diaries and circulate a weekly newsletter detailing the occupiers’ crimes and promoting patriotic symbolism. In Sevastopol, activists once again left pumpkins with messages on the streets, symbolically rejecting the presence of the occupiers.

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 21, the Russian occupation administration has unlawfully detained 218 individuals, including 132 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.

• Crimean Tatar activist Ruslan Nahaiev, sentenced by an occupation “court” to 13 years in prison in the so-called “Crimean Muslims” case, has been held for a week in a hospital in Arkhangelsk, Russia, which is not equipped to address his medical condition. Ruslan suffers from a chronic illness that has progressed to an inflammatory stage.
• Retired Ukrainian Navy officer Oleksii Kyselov, sentenced by an occupation “court” to 8.5 years of imprisonment, has been held in the Murmansk pre-trial detention center for several weeks.
• Crimean Tatar activist Server Mustafaiev, unlawfully sentenced by an occupation “court,” is being kept under strict detention conditions. He is unable to freely go outside for fresh air and can only leave his cell for escorted walks. He is confined indoors at all times, negatively impacting his health. Due to a lack of sunlight, he has developed a vitamin D deficiency, and his eyesight is deteriorating.
• Aziz Azizov, Rustem Osmanov, Memet Liumanov, and Mustafa Abduramanov, unlawfully detained by the occupiers, have been transferred to Detention Center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. The first court hearing in the case of the so-called “sixth Bakhchysarai group” is scheduled to take place on November 25 at the Southern District Military Court in Russia., unlawfully detained by the occupiers, have been transferred to Detention Center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

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 8, 2024, 1,047 cases filed under Article 20.3.3 have been recorded in occupation courts in Crimea and other occupation administrations. In 928 cases, rulings were issued imposing administrative penalties in the form of fines or combining them with other cases, resulting in cumulative unlawful decisions. In 31 cases, the review of materials is ongoing. By gender, 401 (43%) rulings were issued against women, and 525 (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!