prisoners of the Kremlin
UK condemns Russia’s militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children, demands release of Ivan Zabavskyi and detained OSCE staff
The report published by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights concluded that Russia has violated International Humanitarian Law on a grand scale and is responsible for numerous and overlapping violations of International Human Rights Law.
Crimean political prisoner Lenur Khalilov, who has cancer, is in critical condition
More than two months ago, Khalilov was transferred from a penal colony to a regional hospital run by Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service in the Arkhangelsk Region (Oblast). However, the prescribed treatment has yielded no results, failing to halt the progression of the disease or alleviate his pain
US Human Rights Commission calls for release of Crimean Tatar journalist Rustem Sheikhaliyev on his 47th birthday
Russian security forces detained Sheikhaliyev during mass searches of Crimean Tatar homes in March 2019. At the time, more than two dozen people were arrested simultaneously in occupied Simferopol and surrounding areas
“War is when your sister dies of her wounds in your arms while Russians torture your son for ten months”: how a mother searched for missing Ivan Zabavskyi in Russia
Ivan Zabavskyi, a resident of Tavilzhanka in the Kharkiv Oblast, was subjected to such a Russian sham trial. He was abducted while travelling to pick up his mother from occupied territory and was subsequently held in basements, where he was tortured and forced to sign a "confession" to a crime he had not committed
Quran confiscated from citizen journalist Seiran Saliiev in Russian penal colony
Alongside the confiscation of the Quran, Saliiev has been repeatedly placed in a punishment cell. According to his family, since 2024, he has effectively been held in continuous solitary confinement, where he is punished even for minor formal violations, including an unbuttoned uniform or an allegedly improperly made bed
“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
Kremlin Prisoners: How to Write a Letter to a Political Prisoner
Since the outbreak of a full-scale war, Russia has ramped up its repression against Ukrainian citizens. Russian authorities are continuing to illegally detain Ukrainians and file politically motivated charges against them in order to get Ukraine to make concessions.
“Mum, I don’t want to go back there…”: blind political prisoner Sizikov was released from a penal colony on health grounds, but then the decision was overturned
Political prisoner’s mother, Olena Sizikova, spoke about what he had to endure in the colony, how he adapted to life at home after prison, and the circumstances of his new detention
Human rights defenders urge Zelenskyy to prioritize protection for war victims
Human rights advocates believe that following the liquidation of the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories -- a decision approved by the President -- the head of state himself could initiate a revision of the support architecture and the creation of an effective government body
Crimean political prisoner Tofik Abdulgaziev has begun losing consciousness due to significant deterioration of his health condition
The Crimean Tatar is being held in solitary confinement, so if he becomes unwell, there is no one to help him
Human rights activists have identified 25 individuals involved in the persecution of citizen journalist Remzi Bekirov
Those implicated in Bekirov’s persecution include Russian judges, prosecutors, and Federal Security Service (FSB) officers. A journalist and activist with the "Crimean Solidarity" movement, Bekirov has faced harassment since 2017. Following his arrest in 2019, he was held in Russian pretrial detention centers and penal colonies under inhumane conditions, subjected to forced transfers and psychiatric evaluations, and denied the full right to a legal defense
UN condemns Russian aggression, human rights violations on occupied territories and demands troop withdrawal from Ukraine
The resolution relies on the findings of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on violations by Russia, which confirm facts of enforced disappearances and torture both in the occupied territories and in Russia itself
Occupation authorities violate at least 18 articles of U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Crimea — CrimeaSOS
Violations range from forced assimilation and displacement to the destruction of cultural heritage, media censorship, and the obstruction of Crimean Tatar representative bodies, particularly the Mejlis
“Sharper than physical pain – the feeling of helplessness”: speech of the imprisoned journalist
Iryna Danylovych, a Crimean civic journalist and activist who has been held in Russian custody since 2022, has been named a laureate of the "Story of Injustice" human rights prize, which honors victims of political persecution. On November 3, 2025, in Prague, Tetyana Pechonchyk, head of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, accepted the award on behalf of Iryna Danylovych and delivered her speech. ZMINA published the text of that speech
Children of Crimean political prisoners need mental rehabilitation and recognition — Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
he exhibition will run for two weeks, until November 5, at the Museum of Outstanding Figures of Ukrainian Culture, located at 93 Saksahanskoho Street, Kyiv (the building of the L. Ukrainka Museum). Admission is free
Russia detains four Crimean Tatar women after mass raids in occupied Crimea
Russian security forces raided the homes of Crimean Tatars and detained four women in temporarily occupied Crimea on the morning of October 15, 2025, Refat Chubarov, chair of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, stated
Crimean political prisoner Lenur Khalilov, who was released from a Russian penal colony due to his health condition, has been taken into custody again
The Crimean Muslim had been diagnosed with several illnesses, including primary liver cancer with metastases to the lymph nodes, chronic hepatitis C, Stage II hypertension, small liver cysts, a cyst on the left kidney, and kidney stones
Columns
Only 5% of those responsible for deporting Ukrainian children face global sanctions
The human safari: How Russia weaponized precision against Ukrainian civilians
The lesson of Crimea: Rewarding aggression only invites more war
Not just Ukraine — Russia is preparing Ukrainian children for future wars elsewhere
