For the second time in a month, we have received a reply from a political prisoner as part of the “Letters to a Free Crimea” initiative — today, it is a response from the illegally convicted Crimean activist Vadym Siruk.

On 11 February 2016, Russian security forces detained Vadym Siruk during mass searches in Yalta, alongside Muslim Aliiev, Emir-Usein Kuku, and Inver Bekirov. An occupation “court” in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Vadym to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony on fabricated charges of alleged “terrorism”. Russia is currently holding him in a penal colony in Salavat (Bashkortostan), over 2000 km away from Crimea, where his health is constantly deteriorating due to harsh conditions and a lack of proper medical assistance.

For confidentiality reasons, we are publishing an excerpt from his letter:

“The difficulties you ask about, which I have faced here for 9.5 years, have become routine and everyday for me, and I have grown used to them. Allah does not burden us with more than we can bear; everything else is simply the twists of fate.

Crimea is my homeland, a sunny and blessed land — the Black and Azov Seas, numerous mountains, a subtropical climate, forests, and the Crimean Tatar flavour in the homes and streets, which has endured and been carried through the years since the times of the Crimean Khanate. And the old, wise city of Bakhchysarai alone is worth so much!)) Thank you once again for your attention and warm wishes. Your letter reached me on 28 July 2025, meaning it took as long as 4 months to arrive. I hope my reply reaches you much faster, Insha’Allah.

Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: ‘The world rests on four things: the knowledge of scholars, the generosity of the rich, the prayers of the poor, and the justice of rulers.’

Only the truly patient will wait for better times.

28 July 2025
With respect, Vadym Siruk.”

Letters to political prisoners can take a very long time to arrive — sometimes three, four, or even five months. Replies also have to navigate a difficult path through the censorship and control of the Russian occupation administration. It is a true challenge to wait without knowing whether your letter will be delivered. But when a reply finally arrives, written by someone behind bars, it becomes clear: it is priceless. Every such letter is proof that a connection with political prisoners exists, despite all of Russia’s attempts to isolate them.

“Letters to a Free Crimea” is an initiative of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, PEN Ukraine, and the ZMINA Human Rights Centre