Main news of the week:
▶ During a special operation on the night of May 30, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine hit two Russian KS-701 Tunets amphibious boats in the occupied Crimea using Ukrainian Magura V5 strike marine drones.
Occupation crimes:
▶ As of June 3, the occupiers illegally imprisoned 218 people, including 133 Crimean Tatars. Of the total number, 40 are arrested (including 29 Crimean Tatars), 150 are imprisoned (including 98 Crimean Tatars), and 28 are without status (including 6 Crimean Tatars).
▶ There were 802 cases of materials drawn up under Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation submitted to the so-called “courts” on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea. In 706 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 24 cases, the proceedings are ongoing.
▶ Russian security forces sent illegally detained religious figures from occupied Dzhankoi Enver Khalillaiev, Arsen Kashka, as well as the imam of the mosque in the village of Lobanove Vakhid Mustafaiev, for a forced forensic psychiatric examination in a Simferopol hospital. The lawyer of the detained Ukrainian citizens emphasized that such actions of the occupiers were nothing more than “a way to put pressure on the detainees through politically motivated criminal cases”.
▶ Yashar Muiedinov, an activist illegally sentenced to 13 years in prison by the occupiers, said that the staff of the jail in Dimitrovhrad, Ulianovsk region of the Russian Federation, used force and psychological pressure against him. Yashar Muiedinov added that the cell where he is being held is very damp. Because of this, his health deteriorated — his right arm began to hurt more.
▶ Crimean activist and citizen journalist Ruslan Suleimanov, who was unlawfully sentenced to 14 years in prison by a Russian court in the “Crimean Muslims case”, was registered in situational crime prevention list in the Verkhnouralsk prison in the Cheliabinsk region of the Russian Federation for allegedly “adhering to extremist ideology, a tendency to escape and attack”. In addition, he received two reprimands for sitting on the bed.
Forcible mobilization:
▶ At least 819 soldiers of the Russian army were buried. 628 of them were probably Ukrainian citizens. The number of burials may be higher, as many of them take place without coverage.
▶ The capture of at least 44 Russian servicemen from the occupied Crimea, most of whom are likely to be Ukrainian citizens, has been confirmed.
Militarization of the Crimean Peninsula:
▶ Activists of the ATESH resistance movement recorded the activity of the occupiers’ military trucks at the freight station in Yevpatoriia, which were transporting construction materials that the occupiers used to build fortifications on the western coast of Crimea. In addition, the activists continue to monitor Striletska Bay, where the occupiers are constantly moving Russian military equipment. ATESH also reports that due to the frequent attacks of the Defense Forces of Ukraine on Russian military bases in Crimea, the occupiers are trying to restore abandoned sites, such as Kirovske airfield near Feodosia, Baherove near Kerch and Zavodske airport in Simferopol. The activists promptly pass on all information to the relevant Ukrainian services.
▶ On May 27, 28, and 29, the Russian Black Sea Fleet trained anti-submarine warfare teams in the area of the North Mole and South Mole, Cape Khersones, and Striletska and Sevastopolska Bays, using various types of small arms, warning systems, and smoke screens.
Propaganda of the occupation administrations and instigation of hostility:
▶ In Koreiz, Yalta region, the occupiers want to take away the land of the Muslim cemetery, which was founded more than 30 years ago by Crimean Tatars who returned from deportation. On the territory of the cemetery, fence piles were illegally installed right in the middle of the graveyard. It violates the sanitary zone/ According to residents, the status of the cemetery site has recently been changed on the map.
▶ In some Crimean schools, the occupiers lowered annual grades for students who did not write letters to “participants of the ‘special military operation’”. In addition, students were banned from bringing yellow and blue balloons to graduation. Also banned were graduation ribbons in the Crimean Tatar language in the colors of the national Crimean Tatar flag because of the similarity of the color combination to the Ukrainian flag. The Crimean Tatar flag was also banned in two schools.
▶ The spring low tourist season, which traditionally ends in Crimea at the end of May, was a failure this year. Residents say that tourism entrepreneurs are dissatisfied with the work of those responsible for tourism in the occupation administration of the city.
Occupation media publications:
Propaganda narratives of the Russian Federation this week, publicly disseminated by “representatives” of the occupation administration in Crimea:
▶ The so-called “Minister of Resorts and Tourism in Crimea” said that “all the beaches of Yalta, Alushta, Yevpatoriia, and the city of Saky have been inspected and are ready for the upcoming vacation season, which will start on June 1.” In reality, the tourism sector of the occupied peninsula is experiencing unprecedented problems, a shortage of staff, and even Russian taxpayers are refusing to travel to Crimea. Later it became known that the so-called “minister” resigned after his statement.
▶ Due to the shortage of personnel, including due to the increased illegal mobilization of the population in the occupation, which is observed in Crimea in various areas, the so-called “representative” of the occupation administration stated that “there is a shortage of taxi drivers in Crimea. The ban on migrants working in taxis has also led to the shortage”.
Public attitudes:
▶ In Sevastopol, a man from an anonymous page on a social network spoke negatively about the Russian military. The occupiers accuse the man of allegedly “discrediting” the Russian army, and he faces a fine of 30 to 50 thousand rubles.
▶ Russian security forces detained four Crimean residents who were allegedly collecting and transmitting to the Ukrainian side information about the position and movement of the Russian military, the location of air defense and fuel and energy facilities, and data on the organization of the security and defense of the so-called “Kerch Bridge”. Criminal cases have been opened against the man for allegedly “preparing for a terrorist act” and “illegal acquisition and storage of explosive devices”.
▶ A resident of the occupied Sevastopol supported the Ukrainian Armed Forces on social media, condemned the Russian occupation of Crimea, and spoke out against the Russian occupation forces. The woman was detained by Russian security forces, forced to apologize on camera, and her materials were sent to the occupation “court”.
▶ 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 on the peninsula, including Yevpatoriia, Simferopol, Sevastopol, Yalta, and Bakhchysarai.
▶ Activists of the Crimean Combat Seagulls movement continue to expose the personal data of collaborators and Russian war criminals in occupied Crimea.
▶ The Zla Mavka resistance movement continues to keep its diaries and distribute a weekly newspaper that reveals the crimes of the occupiers. This week, the activists distributed notes with quotes from Taras Shevchenko’s poems near the Yevpatoriia city cultural center.
Glory to Ukraine!