Arrest: On April 26, 2018, Russian security forces conducted extensive searches in the stores of the 'Guzel' retail chain, at the warehouses of the 'KrymOpt' company, and at Velilyaev's home in Bilohirsk. Following the searches, Resul Velilyaev and the director of 'KrymOpt', Ali Bariyev, were detained and secretly transported from occupied Crimea to Moscow, where they were placed in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre. Velilyaev was charged under Part 2 of Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code ('production, storage, or sale of goods and products that do not meet safety requirements'). The formal basis was allegedly expired products found in the stores. However, human rights activists and representatives of the Crimean Tatar community stated that the scale of the operation and the transfer to the FSB's Lefortovo detention centre did not correspond to the nature of the charges and indicated a political motive for the persecution.

Sentence: There is no information in open sources about a conviction against Resul Velilyaev. He was held in Moscow's Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre for almost a year during the pre-trial investigation. On April 24, 2019, he was released under a travel restriction. After his release, he remained in Moscow until the completion of investigative actions.

Resul Velilyaev is a Crimean Tatar entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public figure, owner of the 'Guzel' retail chain and the 'KrymOpt' company, former deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and delegate of the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people. He is well-known for his charitable activities: funding social and cultural projects, supporting the Crimean Tatar community, founding the Bekir Çoban-zade Charitable Foundation, and financing the construction of one of the largest mosques in Bilohirsk. After the occupation of Crimea, he withdrew from politics but continued his business and philanthropic activities. During his detention, Velilyaev was repeatedly held in Moscow's pre-trial detention centre, and the Basmanny District Court of Moscow extended his arrest several times. Lawyers noted that despite Russian media reports of alleged financing of 'extremist activities', he was officially charged only under Article 238 of the Russian Criminal Code. The human rights project 'Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial' recognized Resul Velilyaev as a political prisoner, emphasizing that the criminal prosecution was a tool of pressure on the influential Crimean Tatar entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Human rights activists noted that Velilyaev's case became one of the most prominent examples of using criminal prosecution to pressure economically independent representatives of the Crimean Tatar community. Experts believe the persecution aimed not only to strike one of the largest Crimean Tatar entrepreneurs but also to weaken the system of charitable support for families of political prisoners, religious communities, and public initiatives that he had funded for many years.

Resul Velilyaev is married, with children and grandchildren. His family actively supported him during his detention, informed the public about the case's progress, and participated in campaigns supporting him. Open sources repeatedly emphasized that Velilyaev's persecution was a severe ordeal not only for his family but also for a wide range of people and charitable projects he had supported over the years.

Information used from open sources: Krym.Realii, Center for Investigative Journalism, Ukrayinska Pravda, Islam in Ukraine.

Photo: Center for Investigative Journalism.

Update date: 09.07.2026.