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 29-year-old resident of Yalta was detained for criticizing Russian occupiers on social media. The occupiers have charged him with “public calls for extremist activity,” and the unlawful criminal case has been transferred to the occupation “court.”
• ▶ A resident of Simferopol criticized the occupiers on social media and expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was detained and forced to apologize on video, and the occupation administration is considering initiating a criminal case against him.
• Yalta resident Charaz Akimov was accused of allegedly recording and transmitting information about Russian occupiers, including military equipment movements, to Ukrainian intelligence. He was detained and charged with “collaborating with a foreign organization,” and his case was transferred to the occupation “Supreme Court of Crimea.” 
• A resident of Yalta was accused of allegedly purchasing an explosive device to use against the occupiers. He was detained and charged with “treason” by the occupation administration. His unlawful criminal case will be heard by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

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 to gather intelligence on Russian military facilities in occupied Crimea. They report that Rosgvardia is now guarding wounded Russian soldiers in military hospitals after multiple cases of troops fleeing during treatment. Additionally, ATESH agents documented Russian casualties following the Ukrainian strike on the Saky military airfield in the early hours of February 26, 2025. Along with the eliminated occupiers, many wounded soldiers were transported to a hospital in Saky. By morning, several critically injured individuals were urgently transferred to Simferopol.

• Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement persist in their resistance against the occupiers in Crimea by destroying propaganda materials and spreading patriotic symbols, particularly on the streets of Simferopol, at bus stops in Yalta and Dzhankoi.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues its struggle by documenting the crimes of Russian occupiers and exposing them to the global community, while also adorning Crimean cities with patriotic symbols.
• Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls systematically collect and publish data on collaborators and Russian war criminals in temporarily occupied Crimea.

As of March 4, the Russian occupation administration has unlawfully detained 220 individuals, including 133 representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, under 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:

• Oleksandr Sizikov, who was unlawfully sentenced by Russia to 17 years in prison, has been transferred to a prison in Minusinsk, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. He and four other inmates are currently being held in a “quarantine” cell.
• In occupied Crimea, Aziz Faizullaiev was released from Penal Colony No. 2 in Kerch after serving an unlawful three-year sentence. In 2022, he was convicted on fabricated charges of allegedly setting fire to the building of the occupation administration in the village of Pushkine, Feodosiia district.
• Volodymyr Ananiev, who has been accused by the occupiers of allegedly planning a terrorist attack, has been forcibly transferred to Russia. His case will be heard by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don.

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 February 24, 2025, 1242 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 1101 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 40 cases, the materials are still being considered. Disaggregated by gender, 520 (47%) decisions were issued against women and 580 (53%) against men. In total, the aggregate amount of fines imposed has already amounted to at least 35,5 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!