freedom of speech
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
Children in one of the schools in occupied Sevastopol are being militarized by Russian militant Pavel Klyasyuk
1.6 million Ukrainian children might have remained under Russian occupation. Their militarization intensified with the start of the full-scale war, although it has been ongoing in Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014
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
In Denmark, sculptures about the war by Ukrainian artist Maria Kulikovska were destroyed at exhibition
Commenting on the events in Copenhagen, Kulikovska explained that she sees the same logic in them – the destruction of art as a form of political pressure and an attack on a defenseless body. She understands that the sculptures were intentionally broken and views their destruction as the beginning of a period of mourning and a shift toward a more radical artistic language
Reporters Without Borders has spoken out against amnesty for Russian crimes against journalists in Ukraine
The human rights organization emphasized that even if a peace agreement is concluded, impunity for attacks on journalists is unacceptable, as it undermines the possibility of a just and lasting peace
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech condemned the pressure on journalists in Crimea following the detention of Lenora Dyulber
The committee's statement notes that the persecution of journalists violates international law and is aimed at suppressing any independent information about the situation under occupation
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
Only 5% of those responsible for deporting Ukrainian children face global sanctions
The human safari: How Russia weaponized precision against Ukrainian civilians
