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 the civil stance of 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 order to suppress the resistance and unwillingness of people to accept the occupation, in 2022, Russia adopted amendments to the criminal and administrative codes, which provide for liability for the so-called “discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation”. The following recent cases are illustrative:

• A resident of Kerch, Ihor Vovk, opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hung the Ukrainian flag on his balcony, and played the Ukrainian anthem. The occupiers detained the man, drew up an administrative report, and transferred the case file to an illegal “court.”
• Yalta resident Yehor Kosyriev posted Ukrainian symbols on social media under an anonymous account, expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and shaved the trident on the back of his head. The man was detained by the occupiers, forced to apologize on camera, an administrative report was drawn up, and the case file was transferred to an illegal “court”.
• Crimean resident Viktor Kazachok expressed support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine on social media, criticizing the occupiers and the Russian president. The occupiers detained the 71-year-old man, drew up an administrative report, and passed the materials to an illegal “court.”
• Kerch resident Dmytro Spyrin expressed his waiting for the liberation of Crimea by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on social media, criticizing the occupiers and the Russian president. The occupiers detained the man, opened a criminal case, and, in accordance with the “best” Soviet traditions, sent him to a psychoneurological dispensary for examination.
• Olha Pankratenkova, a resident of Yalta, expressed support for Ukraine and criticized the occupiers on social media. The occupiers detained the woman, drew up an administrative report against her, and imposed a fine of 30 thousand rubles (almost two minimum wages).
• The investigation of the appeal of the founder of the independent newspaper “Kyrym” / “Qırım” Seiran Ibrahimov has been completed in the occupation “Kyiv District Court of Simferopol.” The illegal decision to pay a fine of 250 thousand rubles remained unchanged.

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 continued to scout the occupiers’ military facilities; in particular, the activists reconnoitered an institute of nuclear energy, the Black Sea Fleet depot, and Sevastopol military prison for soldiers who refused to obey orders and participate in combat. In addition, activists of the movement continue to record active movements of the occupiers’ military fuel trucks throughout Crimea after the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the oil depot in Feodosia.
• Activists of the Yellow Ribbon Movement continue to resist the occupiers in Crimea, destroying copies of propaganda materials and distributing patriotic symbols in the occupied cities of the peninsula, including Bakhchysarai, Koktebel, Sevastopol, Simferopol, Livadiia, and Yalta. The activists also continue the Letters to Ukraine campaign, in which Crimean residents write pro-Ukrainian slogans on the pages of occupation newspapers, distribute them, and tell about the realities of life under temporary occupation.
• Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls continue to expose the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea.
• The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to write its diaries and distributes a weekly newspaper revealing the crimes of the occupiers and patriotic symbols.

We should not forget about political prisoners who, even in inhumane conditions of detention, demonstrate resistance to the occupation regime and broadcast it through letters to their families and friends.

For example, Bohdan Ziza, who was illegally convicted by the occupiers for painting the building of the occupation administration in Yevpatoriia in the colors of Ukraine and is currently imprisoned in a penal colony in Perm, wrote:

“Anyone who does not publicly speak out against this war, who does not do anything to stop it, is a passive accomplice in this heinous crime committed by the Russian authorities. I decided to do something to express my disagreement. It is savagery that we are witnessing a war of this magnitude these days. It is savagery that we are not trying to stop it. After all, I was not judged for paint and Molotov cocktails. They want to lock me up for my words and for my stance, which is inconvenient for the occupation authorities in Crimea. But no amount of money, threats, or torture will make me change my mind. I am tired of being afraid. I don’t want to run away in search of a better place to live. I want my home to be like this. My home is Crimea. My home is Ukraine.”

New illegal administrative proceedings in the occupation courts of Crimea under the article on the so-called “discrediting the Russian Armed Forces” also testify to the growing resistance. As of September 20, 2024, 979 cases of materials drawn up under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation were recorded in the so-called “courts” in the temporarily occupied Crimea and other bodies. In 875 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 17 cases, the materials are still being considered. The total amount of fines imposed has already reached at least 26.4 million Russian rubles.

Disaggregated by gender, 377 (43%) decisions were issued against women and 497 (57%) against men. Overall, the total amount of fines imposed already amounts to 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!