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The Mission of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Office is launching an information campaign dedicated to the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea, dedicated to people who, in one way or another, even under occupation, defend their fundamental rights and protect the rights of others – and for this are subjected to politically motivated persecution by the occupation administrations.

Server Mustafayev is a journalist and coordinator of the “Crimean Solidarity” initiative.

Since 2014, he has been actively engaged in providing legal, humanitarian and informational support to the families of illegally imprisoned persons, as well as to the families of missing and abducted persons.

On May 21, 2018, at about 7 am, masked occupying police officers broke into Server Mustafayev’s house in Bakhchisarai, conducted an illegal search and arrested the activist. Two years later, in 2020, the occupying court sentenced Server Mustafayev to 14 years in prison in a maximum security colony.

“… The ongoing oppression strengthens us even more, raises our faith and teaches a high and correct lesson to generations… And I hope that we will see each other soon…” – Server Mustafayev’s address to his fellow citizens in his speech at the trial on November 29, 2021.

Server has a wife, Maye Mustafayeva, and four children waiting for him at home. At the time of his unlawful arrest, his youngest child was two months old.

By Presidential Decree No. 335/2020, Server Mustafayev was awarded the Order of Merit, III degree, and by Presidential Decree No. 662/2021, he was awarded a state scholarship named after Levko Lukyanenko.

Server Mustafayev’s name is mentioned in a number of international statements and documents, in particular, in the UN General Assembly resolutions on the human rights situation in Crimea in 2020 and 2021.

On February 17, 2022, a UN Human Rights Council working group found that the imprisonment of Crimean Tatar human rights activist Server Mustafayev was unjustified and violated international law. The UN Human Rights Council Working Group called on Russia to cancel the illegal punishment and pay compensation to the political prisoner.

We remind that February 26 is the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. It was introduced by the Decree of the President of Ukraine on February 26, 2020.

On this day in 2014, a mass rally of Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine was organized by the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in Simferopol near the building of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Since then, for Ukraine, February 26 has become a symbol of resistance to the occupation that has lasted for almost eight years.

#CrimeaIsUkraine #TheMissionofthePresidentintheAutonomousRepublicofCrimea

#CrimeaPlatform

“Today turns 9 years since Russia illegally occupied Crimea and began oppressing its population. It will soon be a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Putin could stop this war at any moment by withdrawing his troops. Crimea is Ukraine, and we will never forget that”, said Mr. Cleverly.

From the first day of the full-scale invasion, Great Britain has become for Ukraine not only a partner, but also a true friend, not stopping political, economic and military assistance. In particular, the British government continues to support Ukraine in international institutions and to highlight Russia’s war crimes.

🇺🇦 Together we win!

 

Today, February 21, at 5:30 p.m., the fifth annual online dictation in the Crimean Tatar language will be held on the initiative of the public organization “Nefes”. This year’s text of the dictation was written by the first deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Nariman Dzhelal, who is currently in illegal detention. He is also an activist of the NGO “Nefes”.

The purpose of online dictation is not to check the level of spelling knowledge of a specific person, but to form a national and international union supporting the Crimean Tatar language.

Anyone can take part in writing a dictation, regardless of nationality, location and level of knowledge of the Crimean Tatar language. In addition, incentive prizes in the national Crimean Tatar style will be drawn among those who do not make mistakes or write a dictation with the minimum number of them.

You can join the online dictation live on the Facebook page “Nefes” and on the YouTube channel of the Crimean Tatar TV channel ATR.

 

A presentation of the work of the working group “De-occupied Crimea: priority steps of the state” was held in the Mission of the President Office for representatives of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. It was important for us to hear their opinions about the developments and to consult on the coverage and communication of the developed proposals regarding the action plan for the Ukrainian state after the de-occupation of the Crimean Peninsula.

During the meeting, the Mission of the President Office team presented and discussed with representatives of the Mejlis the priority steps in the areas of: restoration of public administration and personnel maintenance, amnesty and lustration, prosecution for international crimes and crimes of national security due to occupation, property rights issues, verification of documents and decisions of occupying courts, citizenship of the Russian Federation in the territory of the de-occupied Crimea, as well as humanitarian policy and demilitarization of the educational and cultural spheres.

The development, culture and protection of the rights of representatives of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine will also be the leitmotif of reintegration measures, because for them Crimea is the only historical Motherland. Therefore, the involvement of the representative body of the Crimea is a necessary prerequisite for the reintegration of the de-occupied Crimea and the realization of the rights of the indigenous people.

We are very grateful to our colleagues who joined this important discussion! We continue to work for the fastest possible de-occupation and safe, effective reintegration of Ukrainian Crimea.

Together we will win!

 

22 photos of Ukrainian reporters Alina Smutko, Taras Ibragimov and Alyona Savchuk are a unique chronicle of life on the occupied peninsula and documentary evidence of repression against Ukrainian citizens, in particular against representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.

During 2016-2019, one of the authors of the photo exhibition “Stories from Occupied Crimea”, Alina Smutko, worked in occupied Crimea until she was banned by the FSS from entering the peninsula and the territory of Russia. Alina’s camera recorded the lives of families, often with many children, who were left without a caretaker after mass arrests.

“The stories that I and my colleagues, with whom we worked together in Crimea after the occupation of the 14th year, show in our photographs are the story of the fight against injustice on this side of the prison bars. Relatives of political prisoners went through the ordeal of searches at five in the morning, intimidation and harassment, threats and fines, numerous court hearings, where they had to watch how the system abused their relatives – completely unjustifiably and illegally keeping them in the judicial “aquarium” and in detention centre, accusing them of falsified crimes. And this struggle continues until now, although today we have very few means to see it and show it to the world”, the reporter noted.

The presented photos were taken from 2014 to 2019, while the authors could still travel to Crimea. The Russian occupation administration banned them from visiting the peninsula for a period of 10 to 35 years.

Last year in October, the photo exhibition “Stories from occupied Crimea” was presented at the inter-parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform (Zagreb, Croatia), as well as in December during the solemn events on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Representation.

Kropyvnytskyi became the second city where the photo exhibition “Stories from Occupied Crimea” was presented to a wide audience of Ukrainian viewers. Previously, it was held in Khmelnytskyi, and it will also be shown in Chernivtsi, Odesa, Lutsk and Lviv.

 

MAIN TOPICS:

 The occupying court in Dzhankoy illegally sentenced Oleksiy Kiselyov, kidnapped by the occupiers in Henichesk, to 8.5 years of imprisonment: https://cutt.ly/930CGGC.

 The occupiers released the illegally imprisoned Andriy Zakhtei from the colony and placed him in the Rostov Temporary Detention Center for Foreign Citizens.

 Occupying security forces in Simferopol conducted an illegal search of activist Galina Balaban’s house, took her to the occupying court, illegally fined her and confiscated her phone: https://cutt.ly/e32W5t4.

Militarization of the Crimean Peninsula

 The airport in Simferopol is still closed to civilian aviation of the occupier – this time without an exact date for the next extension of the “suspension” of work, which has been continued every week since February 24 last year.

 In the occupied Crimea, the “yellow level” of the terrorist threat continues indefinitely: in Sevastopol, Armyansk, Dzhankoy, Krasnoperekopsk, Kerch, as well as Dzhankoy, Krasnoperekopsk and Leninsky districts.

 According to information from open sources, the occupying administrations of Crimea are forming evacuation lists for workers and their families, allegedly in case of an earthquake.

 Residents of the occupied Crimea continue to record the activity of Russian fighter jets every day, which are probably firing missiles at the cities of Ukraine.

 Residents of the occupied Crimea inform us every day about the launches of Russian missiles from the Black Sea – all the projectiles are flying towards Ukrainian cities.

 The occupying administrations continue to organize aid meetings for Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine — Aksyonov reported sending generators, chainsaws, gas cylinders, etc. to the front.

 Wet wipes and underwear for the Russian army were also collected in the Yevpatoria kindergarten. Whereas, from Yalta, Yanina Pavlenko sent a thousand pancakes to the young soldiers.

 According to the information of the General Staff and from open sources, it is known that workers of the occupying administrations, Russian Guardsmen, “policemen” and ordinary civilians began to be actively driven to the “Blood Center” in Simferopol for the mass donation of blood for the needs of wounded Russian soldiers.

 The occupying (?) puppet Saldo said that the occupiers want to build a road that will connect the illegal “Tavridа” with the Kherson region – they intend to finish this road for Russian tanks by the end of this summer.

 In the Dzhankoy district there were advertisements for workers to line the trenches – the occupiers are not just lazy because they cannot make the trenches themselves, but they are also cowards because they make them all the way in the Dzhankoy district.

 According to the information of the General Staff, the village of Krasna Zorka has become the most visited in the Simferopol district – there are constant queues of cars with lifeless occupants to the crematorium. Only for soldiers, cremation is available 24 hours a day, civilians are not provided with services at all.

Criminal mobilization

 As of February 20, 2023, the burials of at least 294 soldiers of the Russian army have already taken place in the occupied Crimea. 188 of them were probably citizens of Ukraine. The number of burials may be higher, as a significant part takes place without coverage. Information is being added.

 It is known from open sources that Russia is preparing for a new wave of “official” criminal mobilization, but people to the ranks of the Russian army were being mobilized covertly during all this time. We urge our citizens to avoid illegal service in the aggressor’s army: https://cutt.ly/vVIJLiQ.

Propaganda of the occupation administrations and incitement of enmity

 The occupiers regularly send teachers from the temporarily occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region to Crimea for so-called

“retraining” so that the teachers brainwash the children with the “greatness of the Russian world” and the necessity of “SMO (special military operation)”.

 Active military propaganda continues in Crimean schools: there are many reports in open sources about thematic “SMO” lessons, participation in the “Salutation of the Protector” action, etc.

 The head of the occupying administration of Crimea, Aksyonov, called on everyone to celebrate the day of commemoration of Berkut police unit soldiers and other security forces, who dispersed the Euromaidan.

 According to information from open sources, leaflets are distributed in Feodosia with the aim of inciting enmity and psychological manipulation: the Security Service of Ukraine allegedly mines ordinary things laying on the streets.

 The occupying leader of Yalta, Yanina Pavlenko, attended a concert on her birthday and posted a video of the performance of the Ukrainian folk song “Oy kuvala zozulenka”, although the occupying courts have already handed down more than a dozen sentences for listening to or performing Ukrainian songs in the occupied Crimea.

Publications of the occupying media

 This week’s selection of propaganda narratives: “violent mobilization in Ukraine”, “SMO-help”, “land plots for members of the SMO”, active assistance in the integration of the Kherson region.

 A novelty in the reports of the occupation media about “bavovna”: it is supposed to be the sounds of combat coordination of military units, or the liquidation of shells from the Second World War.

Public sentiments

 Soldiers of the Russian Federation begin to complain publicly: a small interview appeared in open sources, in which the occupier-contractor complained that for almost a year of the “special operation” none of his company was given a leave because “they either do not survive or are in the hospital”.

 Relatives of illegally mobilized people massively began to appeal to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation due to violations of the rights of military personnel. The main reasons: lack of rotations and vacations, officers are offered short-term vacations for a bribe of $1,000.

 According to information from open sources, illegally mobilized residents of occupied Crimea are breaking equipment in order not to go to war against Ukraine.

 Active resistance to the occupiers continues — the “Yellow Ribbon”, “Atesh”, “Crimean Partisans” and “Crimean Battle Seagulls” relentlessly continue their work. According to activists, more and more people are joining the resistance movement against the occupiers.

 We remind our fellow citizens about the “RAZOM (Together)” chatbot, which was launched by activists of the “Yellow Ribbon” resistance movement: the smartphone is your weapon! Submit information about the occupiers — https://t.me/zhovta_strichka_bot.

 The Mission of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea  continues to receive requests from citizens of Ukraine who want to leave Crimea due to the inability to tolerate the occupation and total propaganda. We remind you of our instructions – how to leave the temporarily occupied Crimea: https://cutt.ly/YV8zdBz

 We thank the conscious Ukrainian citizens in the occupied Crimea for prompt reports about the situation on the Crimean Peninsula, in particular regarding the socio-economic situation, the movement of Russian troops, the resistance movement against the occupation, etc. Send detailed information to the email of the Information provided Department of the Mission of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea:

[email protected]

Glory to Ukraine!

 

Sorry, this entry is only available in Ukrainian.

The occupying court in Dzhankoy illegally sentenced the former commander of the Slavutych ship, activist and volunteer Oleksiy Kiselyov to 8.5 years of imprisonment in a high-security prison. According to information from the “Crimean Process”, the author of this “sentence” was occupying judge Liliana Solovyova.

Oleksiy Kiselyov is one of the citizens of Ukraine kidnapped in the newly occupied territories and sent to the Simferopol pre-trial detention center. The Russian Federation does not even recognize the detention of some of these people, keeps it incommunicado, without any, even contrived, procedural grounds — but some are accused in falsified criminal cases, like Oleksiy Kiselyov.

On July 22, in Henichesk, the occupiers kidnapped Mr. Oleksiy right on the street, beat him, tied him up, pushed him into a minibus and took him to search his house, and later to interrogation by the Rosguard. For several more days, the volunteer was beaten and tortured, after that, he was sent to occupied Crimea, where the FSS tortured the political prisoner for another 2 days – forcing him to confess to terrorism and involvement in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Nariman Chelebidzhikhan, to tell about the placement of weapons and personnel of the Henichesk territorial defense. Already in the pre-trial detention center, the prisoner was forced to go on hunger strike because he was not provided with any medical assistance.

The Mission of the President condemns this additional criminal sentence and demands that the occupying country stop the criminal prosecution of a citizen of Ukraine – the circumstances of the illegal arrest and conditions of detention of Oleksiy Kiselyov are inhumane and contradict all possible norms of international humanitarian law.

We draw the attention of law enforcement agencies of Ukraine to another violation of the rights and freedoms of a citizen of Ukraine. We call on the international community to resolutely react to these criminal actions of the Russian Federation and increase pressure on the aggressor country.

Politically motivated persecution, repression and illegal sentences in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea must stop immediately, which is impossible without the deoccupation of the peninsula.

Sorry, this entry is only available in Ukrainian.