Main news of the week:
▶ The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR MO) reported that on February 16, soldiers from the “Prymari” (Ghosts) unit struck a “Pantsir-1” anti-aircraft missile and gun system, a “Nebo-U” radar system, and a “BK-16” landing craft in Crimea.

▶ Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that on the night of February 21, two “Okhotnik” ships and two Be-12 aircraft were hit on the territory of the Yevpatoria Aviation Repair Plant.

▶ Additionally, on February 21, the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck an oil depot in the village of Hvardiiske in the Simferopol district.

Invaders’ crimes:

▶ As of early February 2026, 284 individuals are subject to judicial persecution in occupied Crimea, 159 of whom are Crimean Tatars.

▶ As of February 11, 2026, 1,684 cases have been documented for drawing up reports under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation concerning the so-called “discrediting of the armed forces of the Russian Federation” in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. In 1,547 cases, decisions have been made to impose fines or to consolidate cases with cumulative rulings. In 24 cases, proceedings are still ongoing. 53% of the rulings (819) involve women, while 47% (726) involve men.

▶ In temporarily occupied Crimea, a “court” upheld the sentence against Serhiy Lykhomanov. He was previously sentenced to 5 years, but his sentence was later changed to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine. Serhiy is currently being held in Taganrog pre-trial detention center No. 2. Due to the lack of proper medical care, there are risks of developing health problems.

▶ In the case of journalist and political prisoner Oleksiy Bessarabov, nine individuals involved in his persecution have been identified. According to human rights defenders, an employee of the Russian FSB is among the suspects. Oleksiy Bessarabov was detained in 2016 as part of the “Ukrainian saboteurs” case. In 2019, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison; subsequently, his health has significantly deteriorated due to inadequate detention conditions.

Forcible conscription:

▶ At least 2,717 military personnel from Russian units stationed in Crimea have been killed. 1,441 of them are likely Ukrainian citizens.

▶ The capture of at least 125 Russian military personnel from Crimea has been confirmed. The majority are likely Ukrainian citizens.

Militarization of the Crimean Peninsula:

▶ Activists of the “ATESH” movement have recorded that commanders of the Russian Armed Forces’ 810th Separate Guards Brigade are illegally transferring conscripts to contract service by forging documents and signatures.

▶ A regular school “drone racing league” has started in temporarily occupied Simferopol. A total of 8 city schools are participating in the league, represented by 24 students. The event is being organized on the eve of “Russia Day.”

▶ The so-called advisor to the director for the formation of corporate ideology and patriotic education at the Crimean Research Institute of Unmanned Technologies, Danylo Lunov, announced the active involvement of Crimean schoolchildren in studying unmanned technologies: students first trained on simulators before moving on to operating real mini-drones.

Propaganda of the occupying administrations and incitement to hostility:

▶ In the Perekop district, a memorial plaque was unveiled for Naryman Kadyrov, a soldier of the so-called special military operation. In total, more than 50 similar plaques have been installed in temporarily occupied Crimea.

▶ A lecture on the defense of Sevastopol in 1941–1942 was held for eighth-graders of school No. 61. The event aimed to form the “correct” worldview of historical events among the students.

The Mission continues to receive inquiries from Ukrainian citizens who want to leave Crimea because they cannot tolerate the occupation and total propaganda. We remind you of our instructions on how to leave temporarily occupied Crimea: https://cutt.ly/FwtiajlS

We thank the aware Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea for their prompt reports on the situation on the Crimean Peninsula, in particular on the socio-economic situation, the positions of Russian troops, the resistance movements to the occupation, etc. For more information, please send an e-mail to the press service of the Mission:  [email protected].

Glory to Ukraine!