Weekly News from Crimea

Journalist Muslim Umerov collected the Top-12 Crimean news of the week

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Weekly News from Crimea

 

  1. This week, Ukrainian Telegram channels wrote about active actions on the western coast of Crimea

The "Crimean Wind" telegram channel reported that on April 26, fighter jets circled over Yevpatoria for a long time, and the next day, the "Trukha Krym" telegram channel wrote about "cotton" in the temporarily occupied Yevpatoria.

  1. Russia removed military equipment from the base in the north of Crimea: this was confirmed by new satellite images

The Russians took military equipment from a key base in the north of the occupied Crimea, which is located in the village of Medvedivka, Dzhankoy region. The satellite images were posted by CNN. According to data obtained from the European Union's Sentinel 2 satellite images, CNN suggests that armored vehicles and artillery were in this area near the border with the Kherson region in October 2022 and in January 2023 in large numbers. But in the new picture, most of this equipment is no longer on the base. At the same time, the journalists recalled the statement of the occupying head of Crimea Serhii Aksyonov on April 11 that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation "have built a modern, deeply echeloned defense and this does not mean that they will necessarily be used as intended." Taking into account information from Aksyonov, CNN suggests that the withdrawal of Russian military equipment from the base may be related to defensive operations on the eve of a counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, these images confirm the opinion of Brady Africa, an analyst in the foreign and defense policy research division of the American Enterprise Institute who analyzed Maxar satellite images on April 6 taken from February 11 to March 16, and concluded that the occupiers withdrew their military equipment from the base in the area Medvedivka.

  1. On April 25, Crimean Tatar human rights defender Abdureshit Dzhepparov, detained in occupied Biloghirsk, was arrested by the occupiers for 12 days for allegedly disobeying the police

This was reported by the public association "Crimean Solidarity". Lawyer Edem Semedlyaev said that he visited Dzhepparov at the special reception for administrative detainees, who was brought there after the court session in Bilogorsk.

"We will appeal against this illegal decision. We will prepare and send it to the Supreme Court. It is clear that Abdureshit-aga does not agree with this resolution. He is currently in normal condition, normal for being in a closed space. He is alone in the cell. He sends his greetings and thanks to the entire society," the lawyer said.

  1. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi called the search and subsequent detention of Crimean Tatar human rights defender Abdureshit Dzhepparov "another example of Russian repression against the indigenous people of Crimea." He announced this in his video message. According to him, no one and nowhere can feel safe until the aggressor is defeated.
  2. On Thursday, April 27, in occupied Sudak, Russian security forces conducted two searches in the homes of Crimean Tatar activists - Edem Ismailov and Bari Bariyev

After the searches, the two Crimeans were taken to the FSB building in Simferopol for interrogation and released the same day in the evening. Public defender Seit-Osman Karaliyev reported this to Crimean Solidarity. During the search of both activists, FSB officers seized computer equipment, personal phones, and the phones of their wives. Rustem Useinov, a veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement, whose house was demolished by the occupiers last year, and Ilver Ametov, a veteran of the Crimean national movement, whose house is raided several times a year, commented on these raids.

"Strangers are attacking our people again and dark days are coming. In the morning, our friend Bari was taken away. After him, Edem was also taken away. The oppression does not end. But we know that everything will eventually end in something good. The Russians are very confused and do not seem to understand what they are doing. But if our people are together and if we help each other - Inshallah we will see good days" - believes Rustem Useinov.

Crimean lawyer Refat Yunus reported on the evening of April 27 that Edem Ismailov and Bari Bariev left the FSB building. Activists were taken home by their relatives and friends.

"At 7:30 in the morning, my house was searched. After the search, I was taken to Akmescit (Simferopol). An interrogation was conducted and he was released. Praise be to Allah, I am already home with my family. I want to thank our society - you helped my family, and read prayers for me. Thank you very much." - shared Edem Ismailov.

  1. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets calls on the world to increase pressure on Russia due to human rights violations in Crimea

In his Telegram channel, the ombudsman commented on the searches in Sudak and the subsequent detention of Crimean Tatar activists by Russian security forces.

"I call on the international community to resolutely condemn such illegal actions, to increase pressure on Russia to stop its gross violations of human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimea and to immediately and unconditionally release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine," the ombudsman wrote.

  1. The intensification of absolutely absurd sentences indicates the panic of the occupiers and collaborators

The Russians want to "suppress" pro-Ukrainian resistance movements on the peninsula. This was reported by the Representative of the President of Ukraine in the ARC, Tamila Tasheva, in her column for "Ukrainian Pravda".

"Only in March and half of April, the occupation courts received 42 proceedings under Article 20.3.3 - "discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation". 35 of them have already issued illegal "resolutions" and determined the sum of fines for our citizens. In just one year of the existence of this illegal article cases against at least 352 Crimeans have been filed. However, such an intensification of absolutely absurd sentences shows the panic felt by the occupiers and collaborators. In this way, they try to intimidate the residents of the occupied peninsula and "suppress" their pro-Ukrainian movements. For the occupiers, even ordinary Ukrainian symbols are already a discredit to their military, because according to their "motivational" letters, which are attached to the resolutions and sentences of the occupation courts, the ZSU uses the state flag on its combat uniform." - wrote Tamila Tasheva

  1. On Thursday, April 27, on the birthday of the Deputy Speaker of the Mejlis and Ukrainian political prisoner Nariman Dzhelal, an action in support of Crimean political prisoners called "Letters to a Free Crimea" was launched

Anyone who wants to can write a letter to political prisoners who are being held in Crimean prisons by the occupiers or have been staged on the territory of the Russian Federation.

This is reported by one of the organizers of the action - the ZMINA Human Rights Center. The organizers note that this action is being held in order to remind everyone about the Ukrainian prisoners of the Kremlin, as well as to show that they continue to be interested and worried about them. Currently, more than one and a half hundred citizens of Ukraine are in prison in Crimea or on the territory of Russia for politically motivated cases, most of them are representatives of the Crimean Tatar people. People are persecuted for their journalistic and public activities, support of Ukraine, religious views, or anti-war speeches.

  1. The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol cannot investigate the detention of the Crimean Tatar female Leniye Umerova by the Russians, because the crime did not take place in the temporarily occupied Crimea

On April 27, the next arrest of Umerova ended, and her parents hoped to see her free, but the Russians arrested her again for 15 days for fabricated reasons. This was reported by the press service of the autonomous prosecutor's office in a comment to "Krym.Realii". The agency's press service also noted that the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is investigating the relevant incident, but there is no information as to whether the Office registered the proceedings on the detention of the Crimean woman. In turn, Umerova denied in the courtroom that she refused to get out of the car, and her lawyer, Dzhiguli Satsaeva insisted that all arrests before that were illegal. But this did not work, because the judge of the Soviet District Court of Vladikavkaz, Lali Valieva, arrested the Crimean Tatar woman again for 15 days, and set the time of the arrest from 11:30 p.m. on April 27, that is, when Umerova's previous arrest was supposed to end.

  1. Ukraine is developing unmanned torpedoes with a range of up to 2,000 km, which will be used to block the ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in Sevastopol

In Kyiv, at the Brave-1 defense technology exhibition, one of the prototypes of the Ukrainian unmanned Toloka torpedo with a range of up to 2,000 km, which can reach the occupied Sevastopol, was presented. "Military" informs about this. Toloka is under development. Therefore, it is not yet known whether it is planned to be adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, these torpedoes will significantly help the Ukrainian defenders with the warships of the Russian invaders dominating the Black Sea. The torpedo is planned to have a standby mode of up to 3 months. If necessary, it activates and eliminates the target. Toloka identifies targets using video cameras and thermal imaging cameras and visually using a neural network.

  1. The Ministry of Reintegration named the five first steps after the liberation of Crimea

This was announced by Deputy Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Anatoly Stelmakh during the "Crimea Wave" forum in Kyiv on April 25.

"The first of them is ensuring the safety of citizens living there. The second is the demilitarization of the peninsula from Russian bases." The third step, according to the deputy minister is bringing to justice those guilty of criminal crimes against the Ukrainian state, as well as the deportation of those who illegally arrived on the peninsula. "The fourth step is the restoration of state authorities. The fifth step is to ensure information security, i.e. to ensure that Russian mass media do not dominate the peninsula," the deputy minister said.

According to the deputy minister, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, together with the Presidential Representation in the ARC, the Office of the President, is working on a normative legal act on the creation of a personnel reserve. According to Stelmakh, all positions in Crimea should be occupied by professional people and, certainly, patriots. And during the formation of the personnel reserve, the primary right to occupy positions should be given to representatives of the indigenous people, in particular the Crimean Tatars, as well as patriotic youth and veterans.

  1. Ukrainian pop-rock band "Antitila" announced their first concert in Crimea after its de-occupation. It will be held in liberated Yalta on August 23, 2024

This was announced by the band "Antitila" on its official Facebook account. The band announced that it is opening a pre-sale for the first big stadium show in Yalta, where it plans to sing its best songs, which are loved by many Ukrainians, to celebrate Ukraine's victory together.

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