Occupants in Crimea accuse local resident of cooperation with Ukrainian intelligence

The occupiers increased pressure on Crimean Tatars - six were sentenced to 11-14 years, and another man was detained for "espionage". In Dzhankoy, a local surgeon's house was searched because of a denunciation.

This was reported by Suspilne. Crimea.

Over the past week, the occupation authorities in Crimea have increased pressure on local residents. People are being accused of "espionage", subversion and criticizing the Russian military on false suspicion. Cases with political overtones and open intimidation are increasingly common.

In Kerch, the occupiers detained a local resident, accusing him of collaborating with the Ukrainian special services. According to the FSB, the man was passing information about critical infrastructure facilities, allegedly to prepare missile strikes. He was sent under investigation.

On April 30, in Dzhankoy, security forces came to the house of a Crimean Tatar, surgeon Khayet Khodzharykhimov. The reason was a denunciation. The occupants searched the house and questioned the man. According to Nariman Dzhelal, the First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis, such visits have become part of everyday reality in the occupation, where denunciation is a common practice.

On April 29, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced six defendants in the second Dzhankoy group in the Hizb ut-Tahrir case to terms ranging from 11 to 14 years. Among them are 69-year-old equipment repairman Khalil Mambet, entrepreneur Refat Seidametov, builders Osman Abdurazakov and Lehman Zekeryaev, terminal repair specialist Ayder Asanov and foreman Ekrem Krosh.

The men were detained in January 2023 in the villages of Dzhankoy district. "Hizb ut-Tahrir is an Islamic party that is considered a terrorist party in Russia, which has become a pretext for mass repression against Crimean Tatars.

The international coalition also recognized the case of Vladyslav Yesypenko as one of the most gross violations of press freedom. The journalist has been imprisoned for over four years, reporting torture, and his arrest was condemned by Ukraine and the United States.

Meanwhile, Yuriy Ozarovsky, an activist from Krasnodar Krai, was detained for almost a day in annexed Crimea after he posted a video of a beach in Alushta where the stones were covered with fuel oil. After his detention, he was fined 15 thousand rubles.

Анна Бальчінос