Political Prisoners

Malick Leonid

Detention: In May 2024, Leonid Malick disappeared. For several days, his family was unaware of his whereabouts. Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, there is no final verdict. The Russian Federation accuses Leonid Malick of 'treason' and 'illegal trafficking of radioactive substances.' Human rights advocates consider the persecution politically motivated and emphasize that the charges are based on fabricated grounds.

Malyar Tetyana

Detention: On the night of March 21-22, 2025, Russian security forces conducted large-scale searches at four addresses in Yevpatoria. Following the investigative actions, four family members were detained: Tetyana Malyar, her brother Valentyn Malyar, her son Anatoliy Rossikhin, and her daughter Olha Begey. Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, there is no information in verified open sources about a sentence being issued. The Russian Federation accuses Tetyana Malyar of 'state treason' under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Ukrainian human rights organizations consider the persecution politically motivated and linked to the systematic practice of criminal prosecution of Ukrainian civilians in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Mamedova Elina

Detention: In 2018, a criminal case was initiated against Elina Mamedova under Part 1 of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code due to three reposts on the social network VKontakte made in 2014–2015. According to the investigation, the posts contained 'negative connotations towards Russians.' It was suspected that neighbors reported her, which was later confirmed: 'Yes, I spoke with them after the first search at my home. They said that the investigator himself was browsing pages, stumbled upon mine, and found these posts. I can just see the officer scrolling through my VKontakte feed back to 2014,' Elina says. Throughout the investigation, she was under a travel ban and was listed as a 'terrorist and extremist' by Rosfinmonitoring. Verdict: On January 17, 2019, the criminal case against Elina Mamedova was closed due to the partial decriminalization of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code for individuals prosecuted for internet reposts for the first time. The travel ban was lifted, and her name was removed from the 'terrorists and extremists' list. Elina learned about the case closure unexpectedly — just a few days before the hearing. 'The criminal case was closed very quietly, but opened very loudly,' she commented.

Mamutov Ali

Detention: On March 5, 2024, in the village of Pakharivka, Dzhankoy district of occupied Crimea, Russian security forces searched Ali Mamutov's home and detained him. He became a figure in the so-called 'third Dzhankoy group' in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. The following day, the occupation court in Simferopol ordered his pre-trial detention. Mamutov was charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for participation in an organization recognized as terrorist by Russian authorities, and under Part 1 of Article 30 and Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code for alleged preparation for the violent seizure of power. Sentence: On May 21, 2026, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Ali Mamutov to 14 years of imprisonment. The first two years are to be served in prison, followed by a term in a strict regime colony. The sentence is not final and may be appealed in the Military Court of Appeal.

Mamutov Aydin

Arrest: On April 22, 2019, in occupied Crimea, Aydin Mamutov, born in 1978, was detained. The FSB accused him of participating in the 'Crimean Tatar Volunteer Battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan.' According to the case materials, Mamutov traveled to mainland Ukraine in 2016 and participated in combat in Eastern Ukraine near Avdiivka as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Between rotations at the front line, he also served in the Çelebicihan Battalion. He sustained a concussion during his service. Sentence: On July 24, 2019, the Russia-controlled Kyiv District Court of Simferopol sentenced Aydin Mamutov to 4 years of imprisonment under Part 2 of Article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in an armed formation not provided for by law'). The case was reviewed in a single session—Mamutov pleaded guilty and entered a pre-trial cooperation agreement...

Mamutov Enver

Detention: On May 12, 2016, in occupied Bakhchisarai, Russian security forces conducted a series of searches in the homes of Crimean Tatar Muslims and a local café. Among those detained was Enver Mamutov. After the search, a computer and phone were seized from his home. According to his family, his wife and lawyer were unable to determine his whereabouts for several days. On May 13, 2016, Mamutov was arrested. He became one of four defendants in the so-called first Bakhchisarai group of the 'Hizb ut-Tahrir case'. Mamutov was charged under Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly organizing the activities of an organization deemed terrorist by Russian authorities, and in 2017, additional charges were added under Part 1 of Article 30, Part 2 of Article 35, and Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code for allegedly preparing for a violent seizure of power by an organized group. Human rights defenders consider the persecution politically and religiously motivated. Sentence: On December 24, 2018, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Enver Mamutov to 17 years in a strict regime colony and 1 year and 6 months of restricted freedom. Mamutov and the three other defendants did not plead guilty and claimed the persecution was politically motivated.

Mangubi Sakha

Detention: On November 2, 2024, five masked men broke into Sakha Mangubi's home. Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, no sentence is available in verified open sources. The Russian Federation accuses Sakha Mangubi of 'state treason' under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Human rights organizations emphasize that the case is politically motivated, and she was held incommunicado for over fifteen months without official confirmation of her detention.

Manukyan Tadevos

Detention: On March 4, 2021, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation initiated a criminal case against Tadevos Derenekovich Manukyan. He was charged under part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code ('organization of the activities of an extremist organization'), alleging his involvement in organizing the activities of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious community. Initially, his case was investigated together with the cases of Taras and Darya Kuzio, Sergey Lyulin, and Petr Zhiltsov, but it was later separated into a distinct proceeding. No preventive measures such as detention or house arrest were applied to him. Verdict: As of July 26, 2026, no guilty verdict has been issued against Tadevos Manukyan. The criminal case remains at the pre-trial investigation stage.

Markova Kristina

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.

Masharipov Yunus

Detention: On September 27, 2017, in occupied Yalta, Russian security forces detained Yunus Turapovich Masharipov. According to human rights defenders, unknown individuals attacked him before his detention, after which he was taken to the FSB office in Yalta. Masharipov claimed that while in FSB custody, he was subjected to physical violence, electric shocks, and open flames to extract confessions. He later retracted these confessions in court, stating he incriminated himself under torture. He was charged under Part 1 of Article 222.1 of the Russian Criminal Code for illegal acquisition, storage, and carrying of explosives or explosive devices, and under Part 1 of Article 223.1 for illegal manufacture of an explosive device. The charge under Article 223.1 was later dropped by the court. Sentence: On November 13, 2018, the so-called Yalta City Court sentenced Yunus Masharipov to 4 years in a general regime colony and a fine of 110,000 rubles. The appellate court upheld the sentence. Later, the cassation court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial.

Ablyamitov Medzhit

Detention: FSB officers detained Ablyamitov in August 2020 after searching his home in the village of Zhuravka, Kirovskyi district. The next day, the Kyiv District Court of Simferopol arrested him. In October 2020, the Kirovskyi District Court of Crimea began considering Ablyamitov's case.

Melnychuk Evelina

Detention: November 20, 2024, while leaving the temporarily occupied Crimea towards Voronezh (Russian Federation). Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, there is no information on a sentence in verified open sources. The Russian Federation accuses Evelina Melnychuk of 'treason' under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Human rights organizations consider the prosecution politically motivated and emphasize that she was held incommunicado for over 16 months, with her whereabouts concealed from her family and lawyers.