Shablii Hlib
- Status
- Released
- Gender
- Male
- Detention
- Released
Arrest: In November 2016, Hlib was detained by FSB officers in Sevastopol as part of the so-called 'Crimean saboteurs case'. The Russian side claimed that Shablii was a member of a 'sabotage and terrorist group of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine', allegedly preparing sabotage in occupied Crimea. Along with him, Dmytro Shtyblikov, Oleksii Bessarabov, Volodymyr Dudka, Oleksii Stohnii, and other Ukrainian citizens were detained at different times in this case.
During the investigation, the FSB dropped charges of preparing sabotage and espionage. Instead, Shablii was accused of illegal manufacture of an explosive device and illegal acquisition, transportation, and storage of explosives and an explosive device. The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized Hlib Shablii as a political prisoner, emphasizing that his persecution was politically motivated.
Sentence: In November 2017, the Russian-controlled Gagarinsky District Court of Sevastopol found Hlib Shablii guilty under Part 1 of Article 223.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('illegal manufacture of an explosive device') and Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('illegal acquisition, transportation, and storage of explosives and an explosive device') and sentenced him to 5 years in a general regime colony. The sentence did not include charges of sabotage or espionage, although these claims were the basis for his arrest and the FSB's information campaign.
Biography
Arrest: In November 2016, Hlib was detained by FSB officers in Sevastopol as part of the so-called 'Crimean saboteurs case'. The Russian side claimed that Shablii was a member of a 'sabotage and terrorist group of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine', allegedly preparing sabotage in occupied Crimea. Along with him, Dmytro Shtyblikov, Oleksii Bessarabov, Volodymyr Dudka, Oleksii Stohnii, and other Ukrainian citizens were detained at different times in this case.
During the investigation, the FSB dropped charges of preparing sabotage and espionage. Instead, Shablii was accused of illegal manufacture of an explosive device and illegal acquisition, transportation, and storage of explosives and an explosive device. The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized Hlib Shablii as a political prisoner, emphasizing that his persecution was politically motivated.
Sentence: In November 2017, the Russian-controlled Gagarinsky District Court of Sevastopol found Hlib Shablii guilty under Part 1 of Article 223.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('illegal manufacture of an explosive device') and Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('illegal acquisition, transportation, and storage of explosives and an explosive device') and sentenced him to 5 years in a general regime colony. The sentence did not include charges of sabotage or espionage, although these claims were the basis for his arrest and the FSB's information campaign.
Hlib Shablii fully served his sentence. After his release, Ukrainian consuls in Novosibirsk, Moscow, and Minsk assisted in his return to Ukraine. On March 5, 2021, he arrived in Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Hlib Shablii is a Ukrainian citizen and a former serviceman of the Ukrainian Navy. His case is part of the so-called 'Crimean saboteurs case', which the FSB used to create a narrative of alleged Ukrainian sabotage groups operating in occupied Crimea. Ukraine and international human rights organizations have deemed the persecution of those involved in this case as politically motivated.
Information used from open sources: ZMINA, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, CrimeaSOS, Radio Liberty, Graty, TSN, Hromadske.
Photo: Graty.
Last updated: 09.07.2026.