occupied territories
Blind Crimean political prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov discharged from hospital and being transferred to prison in Minusinsk
While in the hospital, he underwent three medical examinations. The Kremlin prisoner was discharged on 10 June, 2026. According to Sizikov, he was due to be transferred on either 13 or 18 June to the facility where he is serving his unlawful sentence
FSB detained man in Sevastopol over online comments about Balaklava Thermal Power Plant
The man’s identity and his response to the allegations are unknown. There has been no independent confirmation of the information released by the Russian security services
Russian authorities sentenced a Sevastopol resident to five and a half years in prison over comments about the Kerch Bridge, which was illegally constructed by Russian occupiers
In addition, Oleksandr Maliarenko was charged with seven counts of "calling for violence against Russian citizens". In total, he faced 15 charges under articles covering "justification of terrorism" and "extremist activity". The verdict has not yet entered into force and may be appealed
Human rights defenders document 26 cases of pressure against journalists and activists in Crimea over the past year – ZMINA
Occupation authorities continue to restrict journalists' access to trials in politically motivated cases under the pretext of "counterterrorism security". Since the start of the full-scale war, independent and citizen journalists have effectively been barred from entering "court" buildings in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea
Two 17-year-olds have been evacuated from Russian-occupied territories: The girl secretly studied the Ukrainian curriculum, while the boy lived in isolation for more than two years
After finishing the ninth grade, Artem was unable to continue his online studies at his Ukrainian school due to unstable internet access. At the same time, he refused to attend a Russian school. As a result, he effectively lived in social isolation for more than two years, rarely leaving home and barely communicating with other people
“It’s now the occupiers’ military commandant’s office”: Who is moving into Ukrainians’ homes in the temporarily occupied territories?
ZMINA has previously reported on how the Russian occupiers declare Ukrainians’ property in the temporarily occupied territories "ownerless" and expropriate it. This article looks at who is ending up in Ukrainians’ homes and how the process works in practice
Sixty-three countries agree to develop joint strategy on return of deported Ukrainian children
The objective of the the High-Level Meeting of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children was to strengthen collective efforts to secure the safe return of children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by the Russian Federation in the course of its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine
RSF calls for the immediate release of Ukrainian journalist Iryna Levchenko, kidnapped in occupied Melitopol three years ago
According to the organization, Russia is currently holding at least 26 Ukrainian journalists, most of whom are detained in dire conditions. RSF underscores that such actions are aimed at suppressing freedom of speech in the occupied territories of Ukraine
Russian attacks have damaged or destroyed 36 prisons, 98 police detention facilities, and 167 court buildings in Ukraine since 2022 – Ombudsman
Ombudsman has issued acts of response regarding the necessity of timely urgent measures to ensure the temporary relocation of institutional care facilities located in active combat zones or nearby settlements, as well as in zones less than 50 km from the state borders with Russia and the Republic of Belarus
Only 5% of those responsible for deporting Ukrainian children face global sanctions
Olena Kondratiuk called for countries to automatically unify national sanctions lists and their expansion to cover corporate networks, Russian family members, and those who facilitate rather than directly commit these crimes
At the UN, Ukraine highlighted systematic persecution of journalists in Russian-occupied territories
Ukraine called on the international community to demand the release of all illegally detained journalists and to strengthen the response to Russian information campaigns
Russia threatens parents with loss of custody to enforce propaganda in occupied schools — Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Russia has systematically replaced Ukrainian education with propaganda in occupied territories since 2022, forcing children as young as primary school age to glorify Russian soldiers and justify the invasion, while threatening parents with loss of parental rights if they refuse to comply
Targeting NABU detectives over their origins or relatives in occupied territories is discriminatory, ZMINA human rights advocate warns
Lunyova emphasized that the state often perceives individuals from occupied territories, or those with relatives there, as an additional security risk. Consequently, they may be suspected of disloyalty or even treason solely for maintaining contact with loved ones still under occupation. In her view, this approach contradicts the state's publicly declared policy
UN’s Independent Commission of Inquiry stated that Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children amounts to crime against humanity
According to a UN commission, the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia and Belarus constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity. The acts are widespread, systematic, and coordinated by the highest levels of the Russian government
“Hands Off Women’s Rights”: The first Women’s March in Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war
The Human Rights Centre ZMINA team also joined the march and covered the event
Zelenskyy joins Muslim soldiers for Ramadan Iftar
The Head of State thanked all the defenders present, their brothers- and sisters-in-arms, for defending Ukraine and Ukrainians, strengthening our country, and being part of the shared strength of an independent Ukraine
“No other country in the world has had reporters working under such conditions for years”: Russia’s war crimes against media, illustrated by the regional branches of Suspilne
According to data from the Institute of Mass Information, as of the end of January, Russia has committed 872 crimes against journalists and media outlets in Ukraine, while the total number of Russia’s war crimes since the start of the full-scale invasion has already exceeded 210,000.
Family rescued from forced separation in temporarily occupied territory
This family lived under occupation, during which the children were forced to attend a Russian school. Occupation structures systematically pressured the mother: they threatened her with fines and promised to take the children to an orphanage. Russian military personnel regularly came to their home for inspections. The father, who is an ATO veteran, was repeatedly detained, interrogated, and beaten
Columns
Fighting a ‘holy war’: Why a sacralised war resists Western strategy
“Reaching an agreement with the US on what we disagree on”: What the campaign against ICC means for Ukraine
ICC must remain free from political pressure to bring justice to victims of world’s gravest crimes
Only 5% of those responsible for deporting Ukrainian children face global sanctions
