Detention: In April 2022, Rustem Osmanov was detained by Russian security forces. According to the FSB of the Russian Federation, he was detained on April 14, 2022, while attempting to enter occupied Crimea through the Armenian checkpoint. However, in a letter Osmanov sent to human rights defenders at the end of 2022, he stated that on April 15, 2022, he was abducted from his home in the village of Kalanchak, Kherson region, beaten, and taken to Crimea. He testified that he was tortured and his family was threatened during his detention.

Sentence: In August 2022, the Russia-controlled Bilohirsk district 'court' in Crimea sentenced Rustem Osmanov to 6 years in prison under part 2 of Article 208 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation — participation in an armed formation not provided for by federal law, as well as participation in a formation on the territory of a foreign state that, according to the Russian authorities, acted against the interests of the Russian Federation.

Rustem Seitbekirovych Osmanov was born on September 5, 1996. He is a Crimean Tatar, a citizen of Ukraine, and married. According to human rights sources, he was registered in the village of Kurske in occupied Crimea but actually resided in the village of Tavriyske, Kherson region.

The Russian side accused Osmanov of participating in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan. According to the investigation, he allegedly joined the formation in December 2016 and performed auxiliary tasks: transporting goods and personnel, servicing vehicles, working in auxiliary farming, and periodically guarding the location of the formation's participants. These circumstances are presented as claims by the Russian prosecution.

In April 2022, Russian security forces detained Osmanov. According to his own testimony, on April 15, armed Russian military personnel broke into his house in Kalanchak, beat him, handcuffed him, placed a bag over his head, and took him to the administrative border with Crimea. There, according to Osmanov, he was forced to sign a confession under threats of death to him and his family. He was then taken to the FSB building in Simferopol, where, according to his testimony, he was beaten and subjected to electric shocks.

Human rights defenders emphasize that testimonies obtained under torture and threats cannot be considered voluntary. The Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners reports that Osmanov asked the Ukrainian authorities to help return him to his homeland and support his family.

In August 2022, the occupation Bilohirsk district 'court' sentenced Osmanov to six years in prison. According to human rights defenders, the prosecution relied mainly on his confessions and testimonies from other individuals involved in similar criminal cases. Human rights defenders questioned the reliability of this evidence and the legality of applying Russian criminal law to the activities of a volunteer formation that took place on Ukrainian territory.

After the sentence, Osmanov was transferred to Russia to serve his sentence. According to the Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, he was initially held in prison No. 1 in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region. As of January 2024, he was held in correctional colony No. 1 in the city of Donskoy, Tula region, Russia.

In August 2024, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, reported on the mistreatment of Osmanov in a Russian colony. According to his information, the man was held in a punishment cell for a long time, beaten, and threatened with death. The Crimean Human Rights Group also reported systematic threats, physical violence, and humiliation due to Osmanov's Ukrainian citizenship.

According to researcher Iryna Sedova from the Crimean Human Rights Group, Russian security forces previously tried to persuade Osmanov to sign a contract to participate in the war against Ukraine, but he refused. Human rights defenders linked the increased pressure to his open reports of torture and attempts to defend his rights.

As of October 9, 2026, the last confirmed place of detention for Rustem Osmanov in the processed sources is correctional colony No. 1 in the city of Donskoy, Tula region, Russia. No information on release or change of place of detention has been found.

Information used from open sources: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners, Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Suspilne Crimea.

Photo: Association of Relatives of Kremlin Political Prisoners.

Date of update: 09.10.2026.