Detention: On July 23, 2024, FSB officers detained Kristina Markova on her way to work in Yalta.

Sentence: In May 2026, the occupation 'Supreme Court of Crimea' sentenced Kristina Markova to 15 years in a general regime colony on fabricated charges of 'state treason' (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Human rights defenders emphasize the political motivation behind the case, noting that she was held illegally for over eight months without official status, contact with her family, or access to an independent lawyer.

Kristina Vadimivna Markova was born on March 6, 1990, in the Odessa region. Before her detention, she lived in Yalta. There is no information in open sources about her profession or public activities. It is known only that she was a civilian resident of occupied Crimea and did not participate in military formations.

On July 23, 2024, FSB officers detained Kristina Markova on her way to work in Yalta. After this, she effectively disappeared. Her family and acquaintances were unaware of her whereabouts or even if she was alive for many months. Russian security forces did not report her detention, file official charges, or allow her access to a lawyer. Human rights defenders classified these actions as enforced disappearance.

It was later revealed that Kristina was held in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Simferopol, which human rights defenders describe as being under FSB control and used for detaining political prisoners without procedural status. For nearly eight months, she was held incommunicado, without the ability to contact her family, receive independent legal defense, or challenge her detention.

Only in early April 2025 were FSB officers able to force Kristina to sign documents stating she had been recently detained. She was then officially charged with 'state treason,' allegedly for collaborating with the Security Service of Ukraine.

In spring 2026, the occupation court reviewed the case in a closed session. Information about the proceedings was scarcely publicized. In May, it was reported that Kristina Markova was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Simultaneously, her co-defendant was sentenced to 17 years. Human rights organizations note numerous violations of the right to a fair trial, and the prosecution is part of a systematic practice of repression against Ukrainian civilians in occupied Crimea.

After the verdict, Kristina was transferred to pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in Simferopol, where she awaits the appeal review. Her name is included in lists of Ukrainian political prisoners unlawfully held by the Russian Federation. The case is documented by Ukrainian and international human rights organizations, emphasizing the need for her release and holding those responsible for her enforced disappearance accountable.

As of July 19, 2026, Kristina Markova remains in custody. There is no information in verified open sources about the annulment of her sentence or her release. Her case has become one of the most illustrative examples of prolonged incommunicado detention and politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian civilians in occupied Crimea.

Information sourced from open sources: Suspilne Crimea, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Human Rights Initiative 'Tribunal. Crimean Episode', Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.

Update date: 19.07.2026.