Political Prisoners

Behei Olha

Detention: March 22, 2025, Olha was accused of 'treason'. Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, no sentence has been issued. Olha Behei remains in custody. The Russian side charges her under Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('treason'). Human rights defenders emphasize that the case shows signs of politically motivated persecution of a Ukrainian citizen.

Omerov Enver

Detention: On June 10, 2019, Russian security forces detained Enver Omerov. At the time, he was traveling with his daughter Fatma Ismailova to Rostov-on-Don for a court hearing in the case of his son-in-law Rustem Ismailov, previously convicted in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. According to OVD-Info, a plainclothes officer informed Omerov that he needed to go to the police department in Kerch. He was then detained. That same day, the court ordered his pre-trial detention. Omerov became a figure in the so-called Bilohirsk group in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. His son Riza Omerov and Ayder Jepparov were also prosecuted. Later, Azamat Eyupov was added to the case. Sentence: On January 12, 2021, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Enver Omerov to 18 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict-regime colony. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code — “organizing the activities of a terrorist organization,” and under Part 1 of Article 30 and Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code — allegedly preparing for the violent seizure of power.

Omerov Riza

Detention: On June 10, 2019, Riza Omerov was detained by Russian security forces in the temporarily occupied Crimea. On the same day, his father, Enver Omerov, was also detained. Riza became a figure in the so-called Bilohirsk group in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. Alongside him, Enver Omerov and Ayder Jepparov were also prosecuted in this case. Later, Azamat Eyupov was added to the criminal proceedings. Sentence: On January 12, 2021, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Riza Omerov to 13 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a high-security colony. He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code for 'participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist,' as well as under Part 1 of Article 30 and Article 278 for allegedly preparing for the violent seizure of power. On March 10, 2022, the military appellate court upheld the sentence.

Osadchyi Oleksandr

Detention: In August 2023, Russian security forces detained Oleksandr Osadchyi. For almost a year, his family did not know his whereabouts. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no final verdict in open verified sources. According to family and human rights defenders, the Russian occupation authorities have charged Oleksandr Osadchyi under three articles of the Russian Federation Criminal Code, including 'state treason' and 'espionage.' He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Human rights organizations consider the prosecution politically motivated, linked to Oleksandr's pro-Ukrainian stance.

Osmak Hennadiy

Detention: On March 6, 2024, in occupied Henichesk, Kherson region, Russian security forces detained Ukrainian journalist Hennadiy Osmak again. He was taken from the street, and a video of the arrest was distributed. Prior to this, Osmak had been under pressure from the occupying forces. After the occupation of Henichesk, Russian representatives offered him cooperation, suggesting he use his publication 'Novyi Vizyit' to disseminate Russian propaganda. The journalist refused. According to ZMINA, before the March 2024 detention, Osmak had already been searched and interrogated. During his detention and subsequent custody, people close to him reported that he was subjected to physical and psychological abuse. The Russian side accused him of alleged participation in the so-called 'Crimean Tatar Volunteer Battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan'. He was also accused of having ties with Ukrainian special services and other charges. Sentence: On August 12, 2024, the occupation 'Henichesk District Court of Kherson Region' sentenced Hennadiy Osmak to 3 years and 2 months of imprisonment in a high-security colony. In December 2025, the cassation instance of the Russian Federation upheld the sentence and denied a reduction in the term. The Representation of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Crimean Tatar Resource Center also reported that the sentence remained unchanged.

Osmanov Ansar

Detention: February 9, 2022, in the village of Tankove, Bakhchysarai district, occupied Crimea. In the morning, Russian security forces searched Ansar Osmanov's home. After the search, he was detained and taken to the FSB office in Simferopol. That same day, the occupation court ordered his detention. Osmanov was one of four Crimean Tatars detained during simultaneous searches on February 9, 2022. Sentence: On June 16, 2023, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Ansar Osmanov to 20 years in prison. The first 5 years were to be served in prison, the remainder in a high-security colony. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 205.5 and Article 278 of the Russian Criminal Code, with the application of Part 1 of Article 30 of the Russian Criminal Code.

Osmanov Edem

Detention: On January 19, 2015, in occupied Crimea, 34-year-old Crimean Tatar entrepreneur and activist Edem Osmanov was unlawfully detained. The reason was his participation in a peaceful protest on May 3, 2014, near the 'Armiansk' checkpoint, where thousands of Crimean Tatars gathered to meet their leader Mustafa Dzhemilev, who was illegally banned from entering his homeland by Russia. The occupying authorities classified these events as 'mass riots' and accused Osmanov of allegedly 'using violence against a representative of the authorities.' He is one of five Crimean Tatars charged in the 'May 3 case,' along with Musa Abkerimov, Edem Ebulisov, Tair Smedlyaev, and Rustem Abdurakhmanov. Sentence: The trial of Edem Osmanov lasted several months. Subsequently, the court sentenced him to a suspended prison term. He did not admit guilt. After serving the suspended sentence, he was released.

Osmanov Erfan

Detention: On March 27, 2019, Russian security forces conducted extensive searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Simferopol district of occupied Crimea, particularly in the Kamyanka and Strohanivka neighborhoods. During this operation, Erfan Osmanov was detained. In total, over 20 Crimean Tatar activists were detained that day and later grouped into the so-called 'second Simferopol group' in the 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' case. Sentence: On January 12, 2023, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Erfan Osmanov guilty in what Ukrainian human rights defenders consider a fabricated case of the 'second Simferopol group “Hizb ut-Tahrir”' and sentenced him to 13 years of imprisonment. The first two years were to be served in prison, with the remainder in a strict-regime colony. After release, the court also imposed one year of freedom restrictions. On September 11, 2023, the Military Court of Appeal in Vlasikha upheld the sentence.

Panov Yevhen

Detention: On August 7, 2016, the FSB of Russia announced the detention of a so-called 'sabotage-terrorist group of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine' in annexed Crimea. Yevhen Panov, a resident of Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region, a veteran of the Anti-Terrorist Operation, and head of the NGO 'Enerhodar Association - Defenders of Ukraine', was detained and taken to Simferopol. Panov's brother and friends claimed he could not have traveled to Crimea on his own and was likely abducted. Russian media showed a video where Panov, with bruises on his face, allegedly confessed to involvement in 'sabotage'. Sentence: On July 13, 2018, the Kremlin-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea sentenced Yevhen Panov to 8 years in a high-security penal colony. He refused a plea deal and did not admit guilt. On October 25, 2018, the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the sentence, rejecting the prosecution's request to increase the term to 10.5 years. On September 7, 2019, Panov returned to Ukraine as part of a major prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

Petranov Denys

Detention: Late April 2023 (according to family, April 26–27, 2023) at the Russian checkpoint 'Verkhniy Lars' during entry from Georgia to Russia. After detention, Denys was unlawfully transferred to occupied Crimea. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no final sentence in open verified sources. The Russian Federation accuses Denys Petranov of crimes under Part 3 of Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('Smuggling of an explosive device committed by an organized group'), Part 2 of Article 205.4 ('Organization of a terrorist community and participation in it'), Part 1 of Article 30, Point 'a' Part 2 of Article 205 ('Preparation for committing a terrorist act'), Part 5 of Article 33, Article 275 ('Complicity in committing state treason'), and Points 'a', 'b' Part 2 of Article 205 ('Terrorist act').

Zhiltsov Petro

Detention: On July 29, 2021, FSB officers conducted searches in the homes of Jehovah's Witnesses and detained Petro Zhiltsov. He was charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ('organization of the activities of an extremist organization') and Part 1 of Article 282.3 ('financing extremist activities'). In August 2021, the court placed him under house arrest. Human rights defenders emphasize that the persecution is solely related to his religious activities as a Jehovah's Witness. Sentence: On February 27, 2023, the Russia-controlled Yalta City Court found Petro Zhiltsov guilty and sentenced him to 6 years and 1 month in a general regime colony. The appellate court upheld the sentence. Human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner and noted that the case violates the right...

Petrovskyi Mykola

Detention: On March 27, 2022, Russian military abducted Mykola Petrovskyi in central occupied Kherson. Before disappearing, he went to a meeting and did not return. It was later revealed that he was detained by Russian military. For about six months, Mykola was held in a basement by FSB officers. During the Russian forces' retreat from Kherson, he was taken out of the city and transported to occupied Crimea. In September 2022, his parents learned that he was in the Simferopol pre-trial detention centre. Sentence: On September 27, 2023, the illegal 'Supreme Court' of occupied Crimea found Mykola Petrovskyi guilty of alleged espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in a strict regime colony. The trial was held in a closed session under the pretext of containing information deemed a state secret by the Russian side. On February 13, 2024, the illegal appellate 'court' in occupied Crimea upheld the sentence.