prisoners of the Kremlin
Crimean political prisoner Larysa Haidai loses weight and grows weak behind bars, Crimean Human Rights Group says
A 62-year-old Crimean political prisoner, Larysa Haidai, has lost 15 kilograms and become weaker after being held completely incommunicado by Russian occupying forces for more than two years
Crimean political prisoner Yevhen Shved, already sentenced twice, charged with “high treason”
Russian occupation authorities have brought a new charge of "high treason" against Crimean political prisoner Yevhen Shved, whom they have already sentenced twice, Vladyslav Yesypenko, a journalist and former Kremlin prisoner
Russian Justice Ministry targets more activists of Crimean Solidarity grassroots movement
On 24 June 2026, the Russian Justice Ministry expanded the list of people it considers members of the Crimean Solidarity grassroots movement, which had previously been added to Russia’s register of foreign agents. The list now contains 137 names
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.
Crimean Solidarity grass-roots initiative ceases operations
The movement stressed that many of its members who assisted victims of political repression had themselves faced fines, administrative detention and criminal prosecution. These activities were among the reasons why Crimean Solidarity was added to the register
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
“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
Columns
“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
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The human safari: How Russia weaponized precision against Ukrainian civilians
