Political Prisoners
Bodnar Volodymyr
Detention: In February 2024, Russian security forces detained Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Bodnar in occupied Crimea. He became the third figure in a case where the Russian side claimed an alleged plot to assassinate the Russian-appointed 'head' of occupied Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov. Alongside Bodnar, Volodymyr Ananyev and Oksana Shevchenko were also implicated. It is not possible to independently verify the Russian investigation's claims regarding the case circumstances. Sentence: On June 23, 2025, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 51-year-old Volodymyr Bodnar to 13 years of imprisonment. The first three years are to be served in prison, followed by ten years in a strict regime colony. The court also imposed a fine of 500,000 rubles. The Russian side found him guilty of preparing for...
Maladyka Volodymyr
Arrest: On October 1, 2020, officers of the Russian Federation's FSB conducted mass searches in the homes of believers of the religious organization 'Jehovah's Witnesses' in occupied Sevastopol. On the same day, Volodymyr Maladyka was detained. Russian authorities initiated a criminal case against him, accusing him of 'organizing the activities of an extremist organization' due to his affiliation with the Jehovah's Witnesses community. Sentence: On October 6, 2022, the Russian-controlled Nakhimovsky District Court of Sevastopol sentenced Volodymyr Maladyka to 6 years in a general regime colony. He was also banned from engaging in educational activities, speaking in the media, and publishing materials online for 7 years. Additionally, a 1-year restriction of freedom was imposed after his release.
Voynarovska Olena
Detention: The exact date of detention is not disclosed in open sources. The persecution became public knowledge in 2024. Sentence: As of July 17, 2026, no sentence has been issued. Olena Voynarovska remains in custody. Her criminal case is under consideration in the court of first instance. The Russian side accuses her under Part 4 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (illegal actions with explosives). Human rights defenders note that the case shows signs of politically motivated criminal prosecution.
Vyhivskyi Valentyn
Detention: On September 17, 2014, he arrived in occupied Simferopol for one day to attend an aviation exhibition and meet with aviation enthusiast friends. At the railway station, he was abducted by representatives of the so-called 'Crimean self-defense' and then handed over to FSB officers. For several weeks, his family did not know his whereabouts. It was only at the end of October that it became known Valentyn was held in Moscow's Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre. According to relatives, independent lawyers were not allowed during the investigation, and the case was completely classified. The FSB accused the Ukrainian of alleged 'espionage' for Ukraine in the aerospace field, but the case materials were not disclosed even to his family. Sentence: On December 15, 2015, the Moscow Regional Court sentenced Valentyn Vyhivskyi to 11 years...
Vyunenko Yuriy
Detention: The exact date of Yuriy Anatoliyovych Vyunenko's detention is not established in open human rights sources. It is known that he is a 45-year-old resident of Kerch, a Ukrainian citizen, persecuted by the Russian occupying authorities on charges of 'state treason'. His case was prosecuted under Article 275 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code — 'state treason'. According to human rights sources, the Russian side claimed that Vyunenko collaborated with the Security Service of Ukraine and transmitted information about Russian military facilities in Crimea to the Ukrainian side. This included coordinates of air defense systems in Kerch and information on the movement of military equipment. Russian security agencies stated that the information obtained from him could have been used for strikes on military targets. These claims are the version of the Russian investigation and court and cannot be considered independently verified facts. Sentence: On December 4, 2024, the so-called 'Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea', operating under Russian occupation of the peninsula, found Yuriy Vyunenko guilty under the article on 'state treason'. He was sentenced to 15 years in a strict regime colony and 1 year and 6 months of restricted freedom after serving the main sentence.
Yakubov Eldar
Detention: On August 24, 2023, Russian security forces conducted mass searches in the homes of six Crimean Tatars and detained Eldar Yakubov along with Seydamet Mustafayev, Abdulmedzhit Seytumerov, Amethan Umerov, Remzi Nimetulaev, and Ruslan Asanov. They were all accused of involvement with the organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, which Russia has designated as 'terrorist', although it operates legally in Ukraine and most countries worldwide. Sentence: On October 21, 2026, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don issued guilty verdicts to six Crimean Tatars, members of the so-called 'Hizb ut-Tahrir case' Bakhchisaray group. The men were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 19 years in strict regime colonies. Eldar Yakubov was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Human rights organizations consider the case politically motivated.
Yalkabov Timur
Detention: On February 17, 2021, Timur Yalkabov was detained by Russian security forces following a search of his home in occupied Crimea. On the same day, he, along with Lenur Seydametov, Azamat Eyupov, Yashar Shikhametov, Ernest Ibragimov, and Oleg Fedorov, was taken to the FSB office in Crimea. They were accused of involvement with the so-called 'third Simferopol group' in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case. Sentence: On March 22, 2022, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation sentenced Timur Yalkabov to 17 years in a strict regime colony. The first four years were to be served in prison. He was prosecuted under part 1 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code and other articles related to alleged terrorist activities and 'violent seizure of power.' According to the case materials, the accused did not possess weapons, explosives, or ammunition, did not plan a terrorist attack, and did not call for terrorist actions. The defense and the accused themselves called the case fabricated.
Yanikov Asan
Detention: On March 27, 2019, Asan Yanikov was detained by Russian security forces following mass searches in the homes of Crimean Tatars in the Kamyanka and Stroganovka districts of Simferopol. On that day, about 25 Crimean Muslims were detained and later accused of involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir. Ukrainian human rights activists consider the persecution of Crimean Tatars in this case to be politically motivated. Sentence: On March 18, 2022, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation sentenced Asan Yanikov to 15 years in a high-security penal colony, with the first five years to be served in prison. Additionally, upon release, he was given one year of restricted freedom. On July 7, 2023, the Military Court of Appeal upheld the sentence.
Balitsky Yaroslav
Arrest: He was detained by FSB officers on charges of 'espionage' for the Security Service of Ukraine. According to the investigation, in October 2022, Balitsky contacted a representative of the SSU and offered cooperation. He was allegedly tasked with installing surveillance cameras near the building of the occupying 'law enforcement agencies' to monitor the movement and location of security forces and their transport. In 2024, a video of Balitsky's interrogation appeared online, where he claims he was recruited by the SSU back in 2001 and had been in contact with a Ukrainian agent named Roman since 2019. Sentence: The trial was held behind closed doors due to the presence of classified materials. Initially, Balitsky was sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony, but considering...
Yatskin Ivan
Arrest: On October 16, 2019, Ivan Yatskin, a Ukrainian citizen and resident of the Simferopol district, was detained by Russian security forces in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. FSB officers searched his home, seizing Ukrainian documents and a laptop. On the same day, Ivan Yatskin was unlawfully transferred from the occupied Crimean peninsula to Moscow and placed in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention centre. The Russian authorities concealed his detention for a long time; his family learned of his whereabouts only months later. He was charged with alleged state treason under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code. Russian investigators claimed that Ivan was collecting and transmitting information about Russian law enforcement officers in occupied Crimea to Ukrainian intelligence services. Ivan Yatskin denied the charges. Sentence: On May 21, 2021, the Russian-controlled 'Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea' sentenced Ivan Yatskin to 11 years in a strict regime colony and one year of restricted freedom after release. The trial and sentencing were held in a closed session, with case details withheld under claims of state secrecy by the Russian side. Yatskin was found guilty of 'state treason' in the form of espionage. Human rights defenders and Ukrainian authorities consider the criminal prosecution of Ivan politically motivated and fabricated. In September 2021, the Russian-controlled 'Supreme Court of Crimea' upheld the sentence, and in June 2022, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation rejected the cassation appeal.
Yeltsova Anna
Detention: Following the full-scale Russian invasion, she remained in the occupied territory, where she was unlawfully detained by Russian security forces in December 2022. According to human rights defenders, after her detention, Anya was held in isolation for an extended period without proper access to a lawyer or contact with her family. Subsequently, a criminal case was initiated against her on charges of 'espionage' (Article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code). The Russian side claimed she allegedly transmitted information about Russian military movements to the Ukrainian side. Ukrainian human rights organizations emphasize that the case bears all the hallmarks of politically motivated persecution, and independent verification of the evidence is impossible due to the closed nature of the proceedings. Sentence: In October 2024, the so-called 'Kherson Regional Court,' established by the Russian occupation administration, found Anya Yeltsova guilty of 'espionage' and sentenced her to 10 years in a general regime colony. Human rights defenders stress that the trial was conducted with numerous violations of the right to a fair trial, and the case materials remained closed to independent scrutiny. Anya Yeltsova is included in the lists of Ukrainian civilian political prisoners illegally detained by Russia on politically motivated charges.
Yenyukov Andriy
Detention: At the end of August 2022, FSB officers detained Andriy and initiated a criminal case against him under Article 280, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Public calls for extremist activities committed using means or information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet”), Article 30, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Preparation for a crime and attempted crime”), Article 205, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Assistance to terrorist activities”), and Article 205.2, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Public calls for terrorist activities, public justification of terrorism or propaganda of terrorism, committed using mass media or electronic or information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet”). Sentence: In October 2024, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don found Andriy Yenyukov guilty and sentenced him to 10 years of imprisonment. According to the sentence, the first 3 years are to be served in prison, with the remainder in a high-security penal colony. Additionally, the court imposed restrictions on his freedom after release. The human rights project “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” recognized Andriy Yenyukov as a political prisoner, emphasizing that the case was largely based on dubious evidence and testimonies obtained under pressure.