A Ukrainian volunteer fighter from Makiyivka who is on Ukraine’s list for exchange has been ‘sentenced’ to 30 years in the so-called ‘Donetsk people’s republic’ [DNR]. The Kremlin-backed militants have ‘convicted’ Yevhen Chudnetsov of “an attempt to violently seize power on the republic’s territory”.

Human rights activists have called for the adoption of draft bill 2708 which aims to remove the current possibility of extending prisoners’ sentences over alleged minor offences.

The trial has begun of four Crimean Muslims accused by Russia of involvement in an organization – Hizb ut-Tahrir - which is legal in Ukraine but which Russia and Uzbekistan have declared ‘terrorist’ without providing any reason. The ‘court’ on Wednesday also saw no need for the defence to be shown any proof.

The trial has begun of four Crimean Muslims accused by Russia of involvement in an organization – Hizb ut-Tahrir - which is legal in Ukraine but which Russia and Uzbekistan have declared ‘terrorist’ without providing any reason. The ‘court’ on Wednesday also saw no need for the defence to be shown any proof.

How is it possible to prohibit a people from honouring the victims of an act of genocide? With threats, detentions and even warnings to schools that the number of children absent will be noted, and their parents asked for explanations. The ban did not stop hundreds of Crimean Tatars gathering in Bakhchysarai, with the FSB out in full force and openly videoing all those present.

Best known for such protest actions as nailing his scrotum to Red Square or cutting off a piece of his ear, Russian political-protest artist Pyotr Pavlensky continues to put his body on the line

Crimean Tatar self-governing bodies are being prevented from holding any remembrance gatherings to mark the 72nd anniversary of the 1944 Deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar people from their homeland. The escalation in repression over the last week or so has also raised fears that Russia may try to provoke trouble in order to orchestrate a bloody crackdown.

The verdict is imminent in the trial of two Ukrainians whom Russia has accused of killing Russian soldiers in Chechnya 20 years ago. If ‘confessions’ extracted through torture, evidence of alibis and of glaring historical inaccuracies have become standard in Russia’s trials of imprisoned Ukrainians, on this occasion there is one crucial difference.

Representatives of Russian and international NGOs are appalled by a new and alarming development in the campaign of pressure against Russian civil society, namely the possible first criminal proceedings linked with the law on NGOs as so-called ‘foreign agents’

The renowned Memorial Human Rights Centre has declared Ukrainian Serhiy Lytvynov a political prisoner and demanded his immediate release. It calls the cowherd from a Luhansk village near the border with Russia a victim of “the Russian-Ukrainian conflict”, who was used for propaganda purposes

Roman Roslovtsev has been jailed for 20 days for taking a walk in a mask depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, but could face a prison sentence of up to 5 years under new draconian anti-protest legislation. The brave young Russian is in fact challenging the authorities to prosecute to demonstrate the repressive insanity of the new law.

The publication on the Myrotvorets site of information about people who had received ‘accreditation from the so-called ‘Donetsk people’s republic’ [DNR] aroused heated debate in Ukraine regarding the legitimacy of the move and the invasion into the privacy of the people whose information was posted

Russian pro-Kremlin channels’ efforts to undermine Jamala’s song 1944 and her victory were probably to be expected. Russia has a lot to conceal, and not first and foremost about the Deportation, but about its repression and terror against the Crimean Tatar people now

Russian pro-Kremlin channels’ efforts to undermine Jamala’s song 1944 and her victory were probably to be expected. Russia has a lot to conceal, and not first and foremost about the Deportation, but about its repression and terror against the Crimean Tatar people now

25 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia looks set to pass a bill which will effectively lower the Iron Curtain again, and enable the authorities to prevent dissidents from leaving the country

It is not surprising that Crimean Tatars and other Ukrainians are so eager for the world to hear and support Jamala. The Crimean Tatar jazz singer and winner of Eurovision 2016 as become a voice not only for the victims of the 1944 Deportation, but also for Crimean Tatars under Russian occupation who are once again facing persecution in their native land.

Tonight’s Eurovision is not just a light-hearted singing contest. It is one of the only chances the Crimean Tatars have to tell the world about Russia’s continuing efforts to wipe out all traces of them

The charges against Ilmi Umerov, the Deputy Head of the Mejlis, or Crimean Tatar representative assembly clearly identify what Russia understands as ‘extremism’, namely opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea. Umerov is accused of “openly calling for the return of Crimea to Ukraine”.

The charges against Ilmi Umerov, the Deputy Head of the Mejlis, or Crimean Tatar representative assembly clearly identify what Russia understands as ‘extremism’, namely opposition to Russia’s occupation of Crimea. Umerov is accused of “openly calling for the return of Crimea to Ukraine”.

Four more Crimean Tatars have been arrested and could face long terms of imprisonment on trumped-up ‘terrorism’ charges following the latest offensive in Russian-occupied Crimea