freedom of speech
Court bars Anti-Corruption Action Centre and Slidstvo.Info from publishing investigation into 143 properties linked to SBI director’s brother
According to AntAC, the court issued the order as a provisional measure pending the filing of a future lawsuit. However, no lawsuit has been filed yet, and the court has not considered the case on its merits
Russia’s Supreme Court upholds sentence of man convicted over pro-Ukraine comments
He was convicted under Part 2 of Article 205.2 ("Public calls for terrorist activity") of the Russian Criminal Code and Part 2 of Article 280 ("Public calls for extremist activity") of the same code
Melitopol journalist Anastasiia Hlukhovska declares hunger strike in Russian detention centre
Anastasiia Hlukhovska has been held in Russian captivity for almost three years in an incommunicado status. Since her abduction in August 2023, Russia has effectively held her without contact with the outside world and without officially confirming her place of detention
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
Citizen journalist Vilen Temerianov returned to Rostov pre-trial detention centre after a month in hospital
The journalist also needs to undergo a CT scan and is expected to be hospitalised again for this procedure
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
Red Cross confirmed detention of only one of 26 Ukrainian journalists held in Russian captivity
The report also notes that those targeted include not only professional journalists but also civilians who document war crimes, gather information or pass it on to others
Crimean artist Bohdan Ziza was transferred from Vladimir Central Prison
In December 2025, it emerged that Bohdan’s health was deteriorating in Russian captivity
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
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
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
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
“We don’t know whether she is alive”: Story of Anastasiia Hlukhovska, journalist abducted in Melitopol
Journalist’s relatives learned of her detention from acquaintances. According to available information, at around 5 a.m. on August 20, 2023, a group of men in unmarked military uniforms forced their way into her apartment. They carried out a search and seized computers, mobile phones, USB drives, and other equipment
Ukrainian Maryna Riff has disappeared in occupied Crimea – human rights advocates speak of possible persecution
Ryff did not obtain Russian documents during the occupation
“Driving her to death”: the sister of Crimean activist Iryna Danylovych spoke about the conditions in a Russian colony
According to Danylovych's sister, appeals to the duty unit sometimes help, but more often, she is ignored or rudely refused treatment
CPJ urges Ukraine to investigate threats against journalists following International Legion unit exposé
The investigation, co-published on February 18, 2026, revealed allegations of abuse and torture within a Brazilian-led foreign fighter unit operating under an international DIU unit called the International Legion, which led to the death of a 23-year-old Brazilian recruit on a Kyiv military base in late December 2025
“He wanted Henichesk to have its own voice”. The story of Hennadii Osmak, a journalist imprisoned by Russian occupying forces
To learn more about the journalist’s work and the circumstances of his detention and imprisonment, ZMINA spoke with his colleague and a person close to the journalist, whose name we cannot disclose for safety reasons
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
