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 Simferopol criticized the occupiers and the Russian president on social media. The occupiers detained the man, and an occupation “court” fined him 70,000 rubles (equivalent to four minimum wages).
• A resident of Yalta criticized the actions of the Russian occupation army on social media. The occupiers detained the man and initiated a criminal case against him. He now faces up to five years in prison.
• A resident of Simferopol became a target of persecution by the occupiers for a photo of herself with a Ukrainian flag taken at Kyiv’s Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti). The occupiers detained her, conducted a search, and an occupation “court” ruled that she had allegedly “discredited 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 from the resistance movement ATESH continue to gather intelligence on the occupiers’ military facilities. Recently, they reported on defensive structures along the Crimean coastline in the Yevpatoriia district, including both actual combat positions equipped with large-caliber weapons designed to counter drones and decoy installations intended to mislead observers. Additionally, the activists disclosed the launch of an Iskander ballistic missile from Crimea and the creation of new blocking detachments by the occupiers to control their own troops.
• Members of the Yellow Ribbon movement persist in resisting the occupiers in Crimea, destroying propaganda materials and spreading patriotic symbols across the peninsula’s occupied cities, including Yalta, Dzhankoi, Simferopol, Yevpatoriia, and Sevastopol. On December 1, activists from Crimea joined a large-scale action commemorating the anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence Referendum.
• The Crimean Combat Seagulls movement continues to expose the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals operating in occupied Crimea.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement maintains its efforts by publishing weekly bulletins detailing the occupiers’ crimes and distributing patriotic symbols. Activists in Simferopol recently left over 50 banknotes marked with slogans like “Glory to Ukraine!” and “I will never surrender my homeland to anyone” near an occupiers’ military base. As part of the Ukraïner media project, an interview with participants of the movement was published. For security reasons, voices were altered, and instead of real faces, illustrated depictions were used.

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.

• Servet Haziiev, sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment by a Russian court in the so-called “Crimean Muslims case,” continues to experience worsening health. He is suffering from severe pain in his right arm, impaired coordination, and recurring intestinal problem.
• Rustem Seitmemetov, a political prisoner also sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment by a Russian court, has been hospitalized with complaints of heart pain. The last time he contacted his family was on October 7.
• Emil Dzhemadenov, sentenced to 11 years and 6 months of imprisonment, is experiencing deteriorating health in Russian detention. He has lost significant weight, his vision has worsened substantially, his teeth are deteriorating, and after prolonged exposure to cold, he suffers from arm pain radiating to his neck.

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!