Two more Ukrainian activists disappear in Crimea

One of the protests against Russian annexation.  The banners read : The Crimea is our home; Crimea is Ukraine

The Coordinator of the civic organization Ukrainsky Dom [Ukrainian Home] reports that two of the organization’s activists have disappeared over the past week.  Timur Shaimardanov and Leonid Korzh are from Simferopol.  Both left their homes and did not return, and there has been no contact with them.

During a meeting with activists on May 25 Timur Shaimardanov said that he feared that  Leonid Korzh had disappeared, that there had been no sign of him for 3-4 days.

On the morning of May 26 Shaimardanov also left his home and did not return.  His partner says that he was planning to go to the Black Sear Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  There has been no contact with him since then.

Andrei Shchekun, leader of the Ukrainian community in the Crimea and of Ukrainsky Dom [who was himself abducted back in March] mentions Shaimardanov’s civic activism and his participation in protests against Russia’s occupation of the Crimea.  He explains that when Ukrainian military units were blocked by ‘green men’ [the soldiers without insignia but believed and now confirmed to be Russian] and pro-Russian activists. Timur organized a group of activists who kept guard around the clock at military units including the unit on the outskirts of Simferopol which was stormed. Timur’s group, he says, also protected pro-Ukrainian activists, activists of the movement ‘Women for Peace’ and journalists who were constantly being attacked by Cossacks and vigilantes. They also took part in protests against the so-called referendum and Crimea’s annexation.

Reported by the Centre for Journalist Investigations