Occupied Crimea: locals judged daily for “Army Fakes”

In occupied Crimea, court hearings in cases involving the so-called “discreditation” of the occupying army are taking place daily, as reported by “Tribunal. Crimean Episode”.

Illustrative photo from open sources

On average, there is 1.1 discreditation trials per day of war in Crimean “courts,” the report states.

According to the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, 1,325 instances of administrative charges under Article 20.3.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences “discreditation” of the Russian Armed Forces have already been recorded on the peninsula.

In 1,190 cases, controlled by Russia, illegitimate  “judges” ruled to impose fines or consolidate cases with cumulative decisions. Proceedings are still ongoing in 34 cases. Of the cases observed, 49% of the issued rulings (582) concern women, and 51% (607) concern men.

Human rights defenders emphasise that in most cases, persecution under the guise of “discreditation” aims to suppress local residents’ desire to express their pro-Ukrainian views or/ and against Russia’s war.

“Given the scale of what is happening, one can speak of signs of a crime against humanity,” the report says.

Between January and March 2025, at least 159 administrative proceedings under the article “discrediting the Russian army” were submitted to the occupation courts in Crimea, 151 of which resulted in decisions to impose fines or administrative arrest.

Earlier, ZMINA reported that in Russia, the Kalininsky District Court sent Viktoria Petrova, a resident of St. Petersburg, to a psychiatric hospital for an indefinite period—this is the first such decision in St. Petersburg in cases involving so-called “military fakes.”