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:

• Residents of Crimea, Seiran Khairedinov and Alim Sufianov, who were sentenced by the occupiers to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony, have been transferred to penitentiary facilities in Perm, Russia. Khairedinov was placed in Correctional Colony No. 29, while Sufyanov was held in SIZO No. 5.
• A resident of Saky expressed criticism of the actions of Russian occupation forces on social media. The occupiers detained him and fined him 40,000 rubles.
• Pavlo Siuziev, a 27-year-old resident of Bakhchysarai district, supported the Ukrainian Armed Forces and posted on social media, referring to the occupiers as “russnya” and condemning Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territories. The occupiers detained him, and the case materials were sent to court, where the possibility of criminal charges is being considered.
• Crimean resident Rustem Kiamiliev expressed dissent over the actions of Russian occupation forces. He was detained by the occupiers and fined 50,000 rubles.
• Crimean resident Pavlo Levchenko was accused of allegedly sabotaging two sections of the railway in occupied Crimea. The occupiers sentenced him to a fine of 1 million rubles.
• Occupation security forces detained residents of Sevastopol on fabricated charges of supposedly “supporting Ukrainian nationalism” and organizing a stash of weapons and ammunition. The occupation “court” unlawfully sentenced them to 12, 8, and 2 years in a 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:

• Agents of the resistance movement ATESH continue to scout the occupiers’ military facilities. This week, they identified a fuel and equipment depot near the village of Kamenolomnia in the Yevpatoriia district, as well as ammunition and equipment depots near the village of Severnoye in the same district. Additionally, they recorded routes of movement and locations of personnel, which were guarded by conscript soldiers.
• Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement relentlessly oppose the occupiers in Crimea by destroying propaganda materials and spreading patriotic symbols in occupied cities on the peninsula, including Yalta, Yevpatoriia, Simferopol, and Sevastopol.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues its daily chronicles of struggle, documenting the crimes of Russian occupiers, exposing them to the global community, and adorning Crimean cities with patriotic symbols. Their actions not only raise the spirit of resistance among the local population but also demonstrate that Crimea has always been and remains an integral part of Ukraine.
• Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement tirelessly work to expose individuals collaborating with the occupation administrations. They collect and publish data on collaborators as well as Russian war criminals operating in occupied Crimea. Thanks to their efforts, a significant body of evidence is preserved for the future prosecution of those responsible for these crimes.

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 resident Appaz Kurtamet, unlawfully sentenced by Russia to 7 years on fabricated charges of allegedly financing Ukraine’s Armed Forces, has been transferred to the Pskov region.
• Teimur Abdullaiev, a Crimean resident unlawfully sentenced by Russia to 16.5 years in a maximum-security penal colony, has been placed in solitary confinement for 15 days. The political prisoner has been held in the SHU (solitary housing unit) since December 12. His health is rapidly deteriorating in custody—he suffers from hypertension, severe headaches, hearing loss due to otitis, and issues with his vision, stomach, liver, and teeth.
• Crimean imam Raif Fevziiev, unlawfully sentenced by Russia to 17 years in a maximum-security penal colony, has been removed from Detention Center No. 3 in Novocherkassk, Rostov region, and transported to an unknown location.

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!