Detention: On October 5, 2016, FSB officers searched the home of Crimean Tatar activist Suleyman Kadyrov in Feodosia, seizing a laptop and phone. The reason was a March 2016 repost of a video from blogger Demyan Demyanenko's YouTube channel titled 'New Battalion' with a Facebook comment: 'Suleyman Kadyrov agrees! Crimea is Ukraine. Always has been, is, and will be! Thanks to the author for the video! I support it!'. On October 18, 2017, he was officially charged under Part 2 of Article 280.1 of the Russian Criminal Code ('public calls for actions aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation'). In April 2017, Rosfinmonitoring included Kadyrov in the list of 'extremists and terrorists'.

Sentence: During the investigation, a linguistic examination determined the comment was not an 'incitement' but merely an 'approval' of extremist actions. Subsequently, the court ordered an additional psychological-linguistic examination for final qualification. The prosecution requested a 3-year suspended sentence. On March 1, 2018, the Russian-controlled Feodosia City Court sentenced Suleyman Kadyrov to a 2-year suspended sentence with a 2-year ban on public activity. On May 3, 2018, the Supreme Court of Crimea upheld the sentence. The activist did not admit guilt and maintained his stance on Crimea belonging to Ukraine.

On March 2, 2020, the probation period ended – Kadyrov is released. On June 15, 2020, Rosfinmonitoring removed him from the list of 'extremists and terrorists'.

Suleyman Kadyrov is a Crimean Tatar activist from Feodosia, a member of the regional Mejlis. At the time of the case, he was about 59 years old. In his final statement at the trial, he declared: 'I have never hidden my pro-Ukrainian position, I have always said this – it is my right as a person and a citizen. I do not hide it. I do not consider myself guilty.'

The first court hearing took place on December 20, 2017. On January 22, 2018, an FSB officer was interrogated in court. On February 12, 2018, independent experts invited by the defense concluded there were no calls for separatism in the case. Kadyrov's lawyers were Emil Kurbedinov and Oleksiy Ladin from the human rights group 'Agora'.

Kadyrov's case is one of the first three cases in occupied Crimea concerning statements about Crimea's belonging to Ukraine, alongside the cases of Mykola Semena and Ilmi Umerov. After the probation period ended, Kadyrov's conviction was removed.

Information used from open sources: ZMINA, CrimeaSOS, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Crimean Human Rights Group.

Photo: ZMINA.

Update date: 03.07.2026.