Political Prisoners
Osmanova Fevziye
Detention: On October 15, 2025, FSB officers conducted simultaneous searches in the homes of Crimean Tatar women in the Bakhchisaray district and Sevastopol region. A search was also conducted at Fevziye Osmanova's home in the village of Orlivka, after which she was detained and taken to the FSB building in Simferopol. Along with her, Esma Nimetulaeva, Nasiba Saidova, and Elviza Aliyeva were also detained. Human rights organizations emphasized that this was the first case since the occupation of Crimea where Russia opened a 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' case against several women simultaneously. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no information about a sentence in open sources. The Russian Federation accuses Fevziye Osmanova under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of a terrorist organization'), linking the case to alleged involvement with the Islamic organization 'Hizb ut-Tahrir'. Ukrainian and international human rights organizations consider the persecution politically motivated and emphasize that the case is part of a systematic campaign of repression against Crimean Tatars.
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.
Petrushyn Yevhen
Detention: On April 20, 2021, Russian security forces detained Yevhen Petrushyn, a resident of occupied Sevastopol. The following day, the unlawful 'Leninsky District Court of Sevastopol' ordered his detention until June 19, 2021. On April 22, the FSB of Russia released a video of the detention, claiming Petrushyn allegedly collected and transmitted information about the activities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Russian authorities charged him under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code — 'treason.' Ukrainian human rights advocates emphasize that Russia's application of this article to residents of occupied Crimea results from the unlawful imposition of Russian citizenship and violates international humanitarian law. In June 2021, Yevhen Petrushyn was unlawfully transferred from Sevastopol to Moscow, where the Lefortovo Court repeatedly extended his detention. Sentence: On December 19, 2022, the Russia-controlled 'Sevastopol City Court' sentenced Yevhen Petrushyn to 12 years in prison under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code — 'treason.' According to the Russian FSB, in 2020–2021, he allegedly transmitted information about the activities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet to Ukrainian intelligence. The details of the case, evidence, and Petrushyn's position are not disclosed in open human rights materials. CrimeaSOS considers Yevhen Petrushyn's case as politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea.
Pidvalnyi Viktor
Detention: Viktor was detained on May 5, 2023, in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine). Following his detention, he was placed in custody as part of a criminal case that the FSB of the Russian Federation called a case of preparing attacks on representatives of the occupation administration of Crimea. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, no final sentence has been issued. The Russian Federation accuses Viktor Pidvalnyi under articles Art. 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“State treason”), Part 4 Art. 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, forwarding, or carrying of explosives or explosive devices, committed by a group of persons”), Part 3 Art. 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Smuggling of an explosive device, committed by an organized group”), Part 1 Art. 205.4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Organization of a terrorist community and participation in it”), Part 1 Art. 30, para. a Part 2 Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Preparation for committing a terrorist act”) and para. “a”, “b” Part 2 Art. 205 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Terrorist act”).
Plachkov Oleh
Detention: On September 25, 2023, Russian military forces detained Oleh Plachkov following the abduction of his wife, Tetiana Plachkova. After his detention, he was held in a basement used by Russian security forces as an illegal place of detention. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no information on any official charges or sentencing. The Russian side does not officially confirm his place of detention. According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and his family, Oleh Plachkov is held incommunicado, without contact with the outside world, and without access to a lawyer or family.
Platonov Oleh
Detention: On April 9, 2025, Russian security forces detained him during a business trip. On the same day, his wife Nataliya Polyukh was detained in Sevastopol. Their nine-year-old son was removed from the family by Russian guardianship authorities and placed under state supervision. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no information on formal charges or sentencing. The Russian Federation has not disclosed the legal grounds for the couple's detention. There is no public information on criminal proceedings, a trial, or their place of detention. Human rights advocates consider this an extrajudicial deprivation of liberty and enforced disappearance.
Polyukh Nataliya
Detention: April 9, 2025, Sevastopol, Autonomous Republic of Crimea (temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine). On the same day, her husband, Oleh Platonov, was detained by Russian security forces in Alupka. Following the detention, their nine-year-old son was removed from the family and placed under the supervision of the occupation authorities' guardianship bodies. Sentence: As of July 21, 2026, there is no information on official charges or sentencing. The Russian Federation has not disclosed the legal grounds for Nataliya Polyukh's detention. Information about criminal proceedings, court hearings, or her place of detention remains closed. Human rights organizations classify the case as extrajudicial detention (enforced disappearance).
Prikhodko Oleh
Detention: On October 10, 2019, Russian security forces detained Oleh Prikhodko in occupied Crimea. The day before, on October 9, he was forcibly placed in a vehicle and held overnight at an FSB building. The following day, security forces searched his home and garage, where they allegedly found explosives according to Russian investigators. Prikhodko's wife, Lyubov Prikhodko, was also detained but later released. Prikhodko denied the charges, claiming the explosives were planted by FSB officers. Ukrainian human rights defenders pointed out numerous inconsistencies in the case and linked the persecution to the activist's openly pro-Ukrainian stance. Sentence: On March 3, 2021, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Oleh Prikhodko to 5 years in a high-security penal colony, with the first year in prison, and imposed a fine of 110,000 rubles. He was accused of preparing a terrorist act, illegal manufacture of explosives, and preparing to set fire to the Russian Federation's consulate general in Lviv.
Primov Yuriy
Detention: On January 23, 2015, FSB officers conducted a search at the home of Yuriy (Nuri) Volodymyrovych Primov in the village of Shturmove near Sevastopol (temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine), after which he was detained. He became one of the first defendants in the so-called 'Sevastopol Hizb ut-Tahrir case' along with Ruslan Zeytullaev, Rustem Vaitov, and Ferat Sayfullaev. Russian authorities charged him under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of a terrorist organization'), claiming he was a member of the 'Hizb ut-Tahrir' organization. In Ukraine and most countries worldwide, this organization is not banned. Sentence: On September 7, 2016, the North Caucasus District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Yuriy (Nuri) Primov guilty and sentenced him to 5 years in a general regime colony. After the sentence came into force, he was transferred to Correctional Colony No. 5 in the Republic of Mari El (Russia). On January 22, 2020, he was released after serving the full term of the unlawfully imposed sentence.