Crimea turned into a media desert due to repression of journalists

The occupiers continue to persecute independent journalists in the occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea. At least 26 Ukrainian media professionals are currently being held in Russian prisons.

This was stated in an interview with RSF's regional manager for Ukraine, Pauline Mofre.

According to her, the organization has been documenting the persecution of journalists in Crimea since the occupation of the peninsula in 2014. During this time, independent journalism there has come under systemic pressure, and the information space has been virtually filled with Russian propaganda. Already in 2015, most Ukrainian media outlets that had been operating on the peninsula before the occupation ceased operations.

Independent journalists have become one of the main targets for the Russian authorities. So far, RSF has documented 16 cases of Crimean journalists being held in Russian prisons. Among them are Oleksiy Bessarabov, who was detained in 2016, as well as Aziz Azizov and Rustem Osmanov, who were arrested in March 2024.

The RSF emphasizes that the work of independent journalists in Crimea is critically important, because without it, the world would receive information about the situation on the peninsula exclusively from Russian propaganda sources. The mechanisms of media control that Russia used in Crimea - seizure of editorial offices, closure of independent publications and arrests of journalists - were later used in other occupied territories of Ukraine.

Examples of persecution include the case of journalist Remzi Bekirov, who has been detained since 2019. In 2022, a Russian court sentenced him to 19 years in prison on charges of "terrorism." Also in April 2022, journalist Iryna Danilovych, who worked with several media outlets, was detained. She was later sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of illegal handling of explosives.

According to the organization, as of 2026, Russia continues to detain 26 Ukrainian journalists. The RSF insists on their unconditional release, emphasizing that they cannot be used as a tool of political pressure or a "bargaining chip."

At the same time, Kherson journalists working in the frontline zone refused to wear PRESS stickers and patches because of the threat of attacks by Russian drones. Drone operators are deliberately hunting media workers, making the markings potentially lethal.

Анна Літман