~Russia illegally detains 25,000 Kremlin prisoners

According to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, this is the number of civilians abducted by the Russian Federation.

During the full-scale invasion, the National Police began investigating the enforced disappearance of 8,800 people. Russian Children's Ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova claims Russia has illegally abducted over 700,000 children from Ukraine.

The Media Initiative for Human Rights has identified about one hundred places where abducted civilians are held.

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Qırım) confirms 218 illegally imprisoned Ukrainian citizens, 134 of whom are Qırımtatarlar.

Russian security forces continue to illegally detain people in the temporarily occupied Crimea (Qırım) because of their position.

The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea reports.

The strengthening of the resistance [on the peninsula] is evidenced by new illegal administrative cases in the occupation courts of Crimea under the article on the so-called "discrediting of the Russian armed forces". As of April 25, 780 cases of receiving materials have been registered,' the statement said.

Idris Suleimanov, Kateryna Kudriavtseva and Yurii Derbenev condemned the Russian war against Ukraine on social media. The Russian forces arrested them and sent their сases to the occupation 'court'. Security forces also forced the peninsula's residents to apologise on camera. 

On April 17, Tatiana Kochetkova and two others who filmed and posted on social media the footage of the Dzhankoi (Canköy) airfield and posted it on social media were detained by the Russians and sent to the so-called 'court'. 

Russian security forces detained Barbakar Kristina, who said in August 2022 that she did not need ‘Russian Crimea’ and wanted to return to Ukraine.  

Illegally detained journalist and human rights activist Iryna Danylevych refused to take part in the consideration of her appeal against her sentence due to her illness.

The Crimean Process reports.The Court of Cassation adjourned the case to 2 May 2024. Danylevych filed a request for a hearing without her participation, as she cannot defend herself due to lack of treatment. 

Danylevych has inflammation of the middle and inner ear. The prisoner complains of severe headaches. 

Iryna Danylevych is a nurse and civil society activist from Feodosia (Kefe). She worked with INzhyr Media and the Crimean Process human rights project.

She was abducted on April 29, 2022, and held without status or assistance in the FSB basement until May 7. On December 28, 2022, a so-called court in the temporarily occupied Crimea sentenced the prisoner to seven years imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 rubles (about 530 dollars — ed.) for allegedly ‘possessing explosives’. 

Enver Khalilaiev, Nariman Ametov, Ali Mamutov, Arsen Kashko and Vahid Mustafaiev remain in Detention Centre No. 2 in the temporarily occupied Simferopol (Aqmescit). 

Their lawyer, Emil Kurbedinov, reported this, according to Crimean Solidarity.

The prisoners' relatives are not allowed to attend court hearings.

‘In fact, the FSB is not afraid that our clients will hide or influence witnesses. Detention in a pre-trial detention centre is a way of putting pressure on them [the prisoners] for refusing to slander themselves or their fellow believers. This is the true essence of the accusation,’ says lawyer Kurbedinov. 

According to the lawyer, one of the prisoners, Arsen Kashka, lost consciousness twice in the detention centre.

On March 5, 2024, Russian security forces conducted illegal searches in the homes of ten Crimean Tatars in the Dzhankoi district of Crimea. 

Four of them were illegally sent to SIZO No. 2. All of the arrested are suspected of allegedly participating in the Hizb ut-Tahrir organisation, which is banned in Russia.

The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has registered a case against eight residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea for alleged ‘treason’ and ‘terrorism’.

The Russian human rights project Solidarity Zone writes about this.

The case file refers to Kyrylo Barannyk, Serhii and Olena Voinarovskyi, Ihor Zorin, Serhii Kryvoshein, Denys Petranov, Viktor Podvalnyi and Olha Kravchuk.

The men are accused of 'high treason', allegedly preparing for an 'assassination attempt' and 'terrorist activity'.

In May 2023, Russian security forces announced that they had detained an alleged ‘Ukrainian agent group’ on the peninsula. 

Olga Kravchuk, in particular, was accused of ‘discrediting’ the Russian army. Residents of the peninsula are also accused of possessing explosives. 

It will be recalled that the master of sports in orienteering, Kyrylo Barannyk, claimed torture by Russian special services. He was accused, among other things, of allegedly blowing up railway tracks on February 23, 2023, on the temporarily occupied peninsula. 

The health of Crimean Tatar activist and Crimean Solidarity journalist Amet Suleimanov has deteriorated.

The prisoner's wife, Lilia Liumanova reports. 

He has lost 10 kilos, but Amet says he is doing his best to take care of himself,' Liumanova said.

She also said visiting her husband was difficult when she got to the colony in Vladimir prison in Russia. She says Amet is being held in harsh conditions. 

'Amet began to tell me in detail what had happened to him this year. From what we heard, it became clear why he was getting worse,' adds the prisoner's wife. 

It will be recalled that Suleimanov was sentenced to 12 years in a maximum security colony for alleged involvement in the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is recognised and banned in Russia as a terrorist organisation. Following the searches and subsequent detention on March 11, 2020, Suleimanov was placed under house arrest until April 5, 2023, due to a severe heart condition.