temporarily occupied Crimea

Crimean political prisoner Lenur Khalilov, who was released from a Russian penal colony due to his health condition, has been taken into custody again
News - 14 October 2025

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

Russia conducts 22nd illegal conscription campaign in occupied Crimea, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention
News - 14 October 2025

Russia conducts 22nd illegal conscription campaign in occupied Crimea, violating the Fourth Geneva Convention

Russia has significantly expanded its conscription apparatus since 2023 through legislative changes that digitalize military registration. These include creating a "unified register of conscripts" and introducing electronic summons that became operational in occupied Crimea in May 2025. The system allows conscription without physically delivering summons to individuals

Political prisoner Denys Petranov has appealed to the international community regarding the inhumane conditions of detention for Ukrainians in Russian prisons
News - 09 October 2025

Political prisoner Denys Petranov has appealed to the international community regarding the inhumane conditions of detention for Ukrainians in Russian prisons

Political prisoner Denys Petranov, who is illegally detained in Russia, has called on international humanitarian organizations to increase their efforts to provide assistance to Ukrainians held in Russian prisons

DIU has identified more than 170 cultural properties stolen by Russians from Ukraine
News - 08 October 2025

DIU has identified more than 170 cultural properties stolen by Russians from Ukraine

Intelligence officials reported that over 140 artifacts were stolen during illegal archaeological excavations in temporarily occupied Crimea from sites such as the Southern Suburb of Chersonesos Taurica, the Kadykivske settlement (a Roman camp), and the Byzantine architectural monument known as the "Church of John the Baptist."

Russia tortures Crimean Tatar prisoner Mamut Belyalov again – human rights defenders
News - 04 October 2025

Russia tortures Crimean Tatar prisoner Mamut Belyalov again – human rights defenders

26-year-old Mamut Belyalov, who is already serving a 12-year sentence on fabricated charges, has been brought back to occupied Crimea and subjected to so-called ‘interrogation’ in the form of savage beatings, without a lawyer present

Crimean Muslim political prisoner endures harsh conditions for over three years in Russia’s Bashkortostan colony
News - 01 October 2025

Crimean Muslim political prisoner endures harsh conditions for over three years in Russia’s Bashkortostan colony

One reason cited was that he did not interrupt his prayers when the colony chief entered the cell. Aliyev sent a complaint about his placement in solitary confinement to the Salavat City Court, but the situation did not change

Chief Crimean prosecutor Ihor Ponochovnyy, who collaborated with human rights advocates, dismissed
News - 30 September 2025

Chief Crimean prosecutor Ihor Ponochovnyy, who collaborated with human rights advocates, dismissed

The Center of Journalistic Investigations pointed out that despite the Crimean prosecutor's office's successes, Ponochovnyy has not yet received any offers for reappointment or a new position and has resigned from the prosecutor's office. Human rights advocates who have cooperated with the Crimean prosecutor's office on international crimes issues in the occupied peninsula are concerned about the changes at the institution

Crimea liberation is question of survival for Crimean Tatars
Columns - 25 September 2025

Crimea liberation is question of survival for Crimean Tatars

His speech, delivered through translation by Crimean Tatar diaspora patriarch Mübeyin Batu Altan

Force cannot define international borders
Columns - 25 September 2025

Force cannot define international borders

Taoiseach reaffirmed Ireland’s steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stressing that justice must underpin any lasting peace. Concluding, he pledged that Ireland and the EU will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes

During Crimea Platform Summit at the UN, Zelensky urges world to resist normalizing Russian occupation
News - 25 September 2025

During Crimea Platform Summit at the UN, Zelensky urges world to resist normalizing Russian occupation

Ukrainian President called for continued sanctions coordination among partners. He also thanked participants for maintaining sanctions and urged the international community not to allow killings and occupation to become something "the world can simply turn a blind eye to."

Russian occupiers sentenced in absentia the activist and transgender woman Lilia Khvylka from temporarily occupied Crimea
News - 23 September 2025

Russian occupiers sentenced in absentia the activist and transgender woman Lilia Khvylka from temporarily occupied Crimea

At the same time, the activist noted that the "verdict" from the occupation court has taken a toll on her emotional and psychological state, but she plans to focus on it less

Words of support from a free land: A letter to a peer in occupation from a ninth-grader in the Chernihiv region
Columns - 30 August 2025

Words of support from a free land: A letter to a peer in occupation from a ninth-grader in the Chernihiv region

ZMINA publishes a letter from a competition participant, Yaroslav Horovyi, a student in the 9th grade at Nizhyn Gymnasium No. 9 in the Chernihiv region

Putin isn’t seeking peace that’s why Alaska meeting won’t change that – ISW expert
News - 12 August 2025

Putin isn’t seeking peace that’s why Alaska meeting won’t change that – ISW expert

Barros commented on expectations surrounding the Trump-Putin summit scheduled for August 15 and ISW's recent assessments that the Kremlin is trying to use the meeting to sow discord between the U.S. and Europe

Ukraine will not allow Russia a ‘second attempt’ to divide its territory – Zelenskyy
News - 09 August 2025

Ukraine will not allow Russia a ‘second attempt’ to divide its territory – Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy said that contacts with the American side regarding efforts to end the war "are ongoing almost around-the-clock at various levels, and we do not make everything public."

From “soft power” to torture chambers: patterns of Russia’s seizure of new states based on Ukraine’s experience
Articles - 30 July 2025

From “soft power” to torture chambers: patterns of Russia’s seizure of new states based on Ukraine’s experience

ZMINA summarised the main highlights and recommendations included in the Special Report on the situation in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation

“Gestapo methods”: political prisoner Iryna Danylovych calls on the European Parliament to condemn torture in a Russian colony where she is held
News - 15 July 2025

“Gestapo methods”: political prisoner Iryna Danylovych calls on the European Parliament to condemn torture in a Russian colony where she is held

Danylovych stated that the administration of women’s penal colony No. 7 in Zelenokumsk, Stavropol Krai, is creating "endless hell" for prisoners.

Expert warns about three challenges to proper documentation of international crimes and preservation of evidence of Russian aggression against Ukraine
News - 31 May 2025

Expert warns about three challenges to proper documentation of international crimes and preservation of evidence of Russian aggression against Ukraine

The absence of a unified state strategy for documenting the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war, cuts in funding for human rights projects, and aggressive Russian propaganda create risks of losing years of achievements in the field of recording war crimes, Anton Drobovych stated

Freezing the conflict means intensifying repressions against Ukrainians in the occupied territories
Columns - 30 May 2025

Freezing the conflict means intensifying repressions against Ukrainians in the occupied territories

ZMINA published a speech by Olha Skrypnyk, Head of the Crimean Human Rights Group, explaining the consequences of ignoring humanitarian challenges in the negotiation process