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Feb. 2, 2026, 8:12 a.m.
In the detention center of the occupied Crimea, 31 political prisoners without the right to assistance were found
Цей матеріал також доступний українською1
The pre-trial detention center in Simferopol. PHOTO: Anton Naumlyuk/graty.me
The Crimean detention center verified 96 abducted civilians from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, 31 of whom are still being held without official confirmation. In all cases, torture and other forms of inhuman treatment were recorded.
This is evidenced by the research of the Crimean Human Rights Group.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the occupied Crimea has been used for the illegal detention of civilians abducted from the newly occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The abducted citizens become defendants in criminal cases or are held incommunicado without the right to legal aid and communication with relatives.
According to the CHRG, SIZO No. 1 (headed by Alexander Kondratov), as well as SIZO No. 2 (headed by Anton Gorkun) and SIZO No. 8 (headed by Rauf Idrisov), established after February 24, 2022, are used for the illegal detention of civilians in Crimea.
In 2025, the Russian government approved amendments to the federal program "Development of the Criminal Executive System", which envisaged the construction of a new pre-trial detention center and an increase in the number of detainees in existing institutions.
As of December 2025, the CHRG has verified at least 96 abducted civilians, mostly held in SIZO #2 in Simferopol. At least 31 of them are still in detention without official confirmation from the aggressor country. In all documented cases, representatives of the Russian Armed Forces, the Russian Guard and the FSB used torture and other forms of inhuman treatment, including denial of medical care.
Also last year, the Russian Federation signed a law denouncing the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, which significantly limited the possibility of international control over places of detention in the occupied territories. Formally, supervision remains with the FSB and Russian courts, which are fully controlled by the occupying authorities.
Criminal cases against abducted citizens are considered by the "courts" of Crimea, the Russian Federation and the newly established occupation "courts" in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. There are at least 8 such "courts" in Zaporizhzhia region and at least 15 in Kherson region.
The CHRG has been documenting human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Crimea since 2014. At least 340 Ukrainian citizens are being held in detention due to politically motivated or religious persecution. The occupation authorities continue to fabricate criminal cases under "terrorist", "extremist", "sabotage", "espionage" and "treason" articles.
The Russians planned to expand the network of detention centers in the temporarily occupied Crimea back in August last year. In total, they were talking about almost 2,000 new places to hold people.
On January 31, a demonstration"Sessiz qıçıruvı. The Mute Cry" dedicated to the Crimean civilian hostages of the terrorist country was held in the center of Odesa.
