The 22 photographs by Ukrainian reporters Alina Smutko, Taras Ibragimov, and Alyona Savchuk are a unique chronicle of life on the Russian-occupied peninsula and documentary evidence of repression of Ukrainian citizens, including the Crimean Tatar people.
Large-scale persecution began from the first day of the occupation of Crimea by Russian troops. In many cases, 181 people have been arrested for political reasons to date, and 116 of them are Crimean Tatars. The occupiers have also abducted 43 Ukrainian activists, 11 of whom are missing and one remains in custody. In addition, the occupation administrations are keeping 15 journalists behind bars.
Petro Vyhivskyi, father of political prisoner Valentyn Vyhivskyi, has been fighting for his son’s release for many years: “My son has been illegally detained by the Russian Federation for 8 and a half years. He and another Ukrainian citizen, Viktor Shur, are accused of espionage and have been in Russian colonies for the longest time – since 2014. Almost all the time, Valentyn is kept in a cell-type room and in a punishment isolation ward. After the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, the conditions of detention for Valentyn and other Ukrainians have deteriorated significantly. There is no consular supervision, the post office does not work, and there is no possibility to make parcels or transfer money to an account. Psychological pressure from guards and cellmates has increased. Valentyn is in information isolation and does not know what is happening in Ukraine now.”
After the full-scale invasion, the occupied Crimea also became a prison for people abducted in the newly occupied territories, as the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group Volodymyr Chekrygin said.
The presented photos were taken from 2014 to 2019, while the authors could still travel to Crimea. The Russian occupation administration banned them from visiting the peninsula for a period of 10 to 35 years.
“These pictures are a small part of all the stories from the occupation that we were lucky enough to see, hear and broadcast. These are stories about people who stayed at home despite intimidation and threats, arrests and trials, torture and humiliation by (pro)Russian security forces. These are stories about the ruined lives of hundreds of families, fictional terrorism, and persecution for nationality, faith, and position. But they are also about love for one’s land and one’s people, solidarity and mutual support, faith in the victory of truth and goodness,” said Alyona Savchuk, one of the authors of the photo exhibition.
Lutsk became the fifth city where the photo exhibition “Stories from the Occupied Crimea” was presented. Previously, it was held in Khmelnytskyi, Kropyvnytskyi, Chernivtsi, Dnipro, and will be shown in Lviv.
