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, together with the National Resistance Center, about public sentiment among Crimean residents and about the people who destroy Russian propaganda narratives.

The occupation administration systematically persecutes residents of Crimea for their support of Ukraine, expressions of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identity, and any criticism of the Russian occupation and military aggression. As early as 2022, Russia amended its criminal and administrative legislation to introduce penalties for so-called “discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” This measure has become yet another tool for suppressing activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. This week, the following cases were recorded:

• A resident of Bakhchysarai, Oleh Shevchenko, criticized Russian occupiers and expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a video chat. The occupation forces detained him, forced him to apologize on video, filed a report against him, and transferred the case to an illegal “court.”
• A resident of Islam-Terek, Yan Moiseiev, publicly criticized the Russian occupation army and the Russian president in chat-roulette conversations. The occupation forces detained the 55-year-old man, coerced him into making a video apology, and, by decision of an illegal occupation “court,” sentenced him to 10 days of administrative arrest and fined him 95,000 rubles.
• A 60-year-old woman from the Bilohirsk district criticized the actions of the Russian occupation army on social media and posted patriotic photos and songs. The occupiers detained her, and an illegal “court” sentenced her to an administrative penalty in the form of two fines totaling 80,000 rubles (nearly three minimum wages).

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 Russian military facilities. They also monitor the occupiers’ logistics and report on an ongoing propaganda campaign in Simferopol.

• Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement persist in their struggle against the occupiers in Crimea by destroying propaganda materials and spreading patriotic symbols. Their symbols have appeared in Salhirka Park, residential areas of Simferopol, near the entrance to Bakhchysarai, near the railway station in Yevpatoriia, and on the outskirts of Feodosiia.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues its fight by documenting Russian occupation crimes and exposing them to the international community while simultaneously decorating Crimean cities with patriotic symbols.
• Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement systematically collect and publish information on collaborators and Russian war criminals in temporarily occupied Crimea.

As of January 30, the Russian occupation administration has illegally detained 218 individuals, including 132 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, on fabricated charges such as terrorism, extremism, and treason. These actions are part of Russia’s broader campaign of repression targeting Crimean Tatars and anyone who resists occupation or seeks to preserve their cultural and national identity. Recent cases highlight the severity of these repressions:

• The occupation FSB has abducted and unlawfully detained 28-year-old Lera Dzhemilova, a resident of Dzhankoi district, for over eight months. In May 2024, following a search, she was taken to court and sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest for allegedly refusing to take a drug test. Since then, her whereabouts and legal status remain unknown.
• The health condition of Tofik Abdulhaziiev, who was illegally sentenced by the occupiers to 12 years in a high-security penal colony and suffers from tuberculosis, has deteriorated sharply—his fever persists, he has developed a severe cough and shortness of breath and is not receiving proper medical care.
• Rustem Seitkhalilov, who was unlawfully sentenced by the occupiers to 14 years of imprisonment, was able to see his mother for the first time in six years. His health is deteriorating in detention, and he suffers from persistent headaches.

The growing resistance to the occupation in Crimea is also evidenced by the increasing number of illegal administrative proceedings in the occupation “courts” under the article on the so-called “discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.” As of January 31, 2025, 1203 cases of materials drawn up under Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation were recorded in the so-called “courts” in temporarily occupied Crimea and other competent authorities. 

In 1058 of these cases, a decision was made to impose an administrative penalty in the form of a fine or to join the case to another case under another article and make a cumulative decision. In 46 cases, the materials are still being considered. Disaggregated by gender, 489 (46%) decisions were issued against women and 568 (54%) against men. In total, the aggregate amount of fines imposed has already amounted to at least 34,15 million Russian rubles.

We thank everyone for their courage and clear civic stance. Crimea is Ukraine, and we are struggling together to liberate Crimea as soon as possible and to return a sense of security to our citizens who are forced to live under occupation.

Glory to Ukraine!