Arrest: On April 19, 2016, FSB officers conducted a search in the journalist's apartment in Simferopol, seized computer equipment, and initiated a criminal case against him 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'). The basis was an article published on the 'Crimea.Realities' website, in which the author expressed the need for the de-occupation of Crimea. After the search, Mykola Semena was prohibited from leaving Crimea and was later included in the Russian list of persons involved in extremist activities. During the investigation, he was under a travel ban. Ukrainian and international human rights organizations, the European Parliament, and several international institutions recognized Semena's case as politically motivated and related to persecution for journalistic activities.

Sentence: On September 22, 2017, the Russia-controlled Railway District Court of Simferopol found Mykola Semena guilty of public calls to violate Russia's territorial integrity and sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months of suspended imprisonment with a probation period of 3 years. The court also prohibited the journalist from engaging in any public activities related to media publications. Initially, the ban was for three years, but it was later reduced to two years.

Mykola Semena is a Ukrainian journalist, publicist, and commentator for the 'Crimea.Realities' project, and an honored journalist of Ukraine. He was born on May 14, 1950, in the village of Voronky, Chernihiv region. He worked as a journalist in Crimea for over 30 years, collaborating with publications such as 'Den', 'Dzerkalo Tyzhnia', 'Izvestia', and others.

After the occupation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, he remained on the peninsula and continued to cover events for 'Crimea.Realities' under a pseudonym. In February 2020, after travel restrictions were lifted, Mykola Semena left occupied Crimea and arrived in Ukraine-controlled territory. After relocating, he resumed his journalistic activities and collaboration with the 'Crimea.Realities' project.

The journalist has repeatedly stated that the criminal case was punishment for his professional activities and expressing a position on the illegality of Crimea's occupation.

Mykola Semena is married. His wife is Lyudmila Semena. The couple has two children, a daughter, Oksana, and a son, Dmytro. During the criminal prosecution, the family supported the journalist and publicly defended him.

Mykola Semena's case became one of the first instances of criminal prosecution of a journalist in occupied Crimea for publishing material that advocated for the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity. Human rights organizations viewed the sentence as a violation of freedom of speech and an example of using Russian anti-extremist legislation to pressure independent journalists and suppress freedom of expression on the occupied peninsula.

Information sourced from open sources: ZMINA, Suspilne Crimea, Ukrinform, Crimea.Realities,

Photo: ZMINA.

Updated on: 09.07.2026.