A Russian court sentenced a girl who was abducted in Crimea to 17 years in prison

A Russian court sentenced 25-year-oldKhatidze Buyukhchan, who was abducted by Russian security forces in May 2025, to 17 years in a penal colony. She was also fined 400,000 rubles and sentenced to one and a half years of restricted freedom.

According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, the verdict was handed down by the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don on November 12. The case was presided over by Russian Judge Kirill Kryvtsov.

Khatidze Buyukhchan is a resident of Kerch. On May 6, 2025, she boarded a bus from Stary Krym to Simferopol, after which she ceased all contact. It later became known that she was being held at the FSB office in Simferopol.

The lawyer hired by her relatives was denied access to her.

The Russian side accused the Crimean woman of treason, planning a terrorist attack, and the illegal manufacture and possession of explosives.

According to the Russian prosecution, Buyukhchan allegedly collaborated with the Security Service of Ukraine. She was accused of being tasked with locating the vehicle of the commander of a Russian naval aviation regiment of the Black Sea Fleet. She was also accused of purchasing components to manufacture a homemade explosive device.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center called the prosecution politically motivated. The center stated that Russia is using charges of treason and terrorism to persecute residents of occupied Crimea.

The organization demands the release of Khatidze Buyukhchan and other unlawfully detained Ukrainians, as well as that those involved in their abduction and unlawful detention be held accountable.

Ірина Глухова