Every time it seems as though Russia has hit the depths in its torment of Crimean Tatar and other Ukrainian political prisoners, it turns out that they can plummet still further. Tofik Abdulgaziev, who is suffering from a malignant brain tumour and should have been released on medical grounds back in January 2026, has been placed in ‘a punishment cell’ with even harsher conditions for the next ten days.
Such barbaric treatment of a man whose brain tumour was diagnosed as malignant ten months ago defies belief, yet Tofik’s wife, Aliye was informed of it by the lawyer representing her husband who had tried to visit him in the prison hospital. It is not clear what pretext, if any, was cited, with Aliye stating that she cared more about her husband’s state of health. The lawyer had, at her request, gone to Prison tuberculosis hospital No, 3 in Chelyabinsk to speak with the chief medical officer, Olga Anvarovna Angold.
Aliye also reported that the court hearing, scheduled for 22 September, into the application made for Tofik Abdulgaziev’s release had again been postponed for a month. Although with any cancer diagnosis, and especially one concerning a person with a malignant brain tumour, time is critical, the postponements came as no surprise. The same court has been using such delaying tactics since January this year, with the hearings typically postponed for an entire month. The only deviation from this was in August 2026 when the hearing was postponed for two months because the ‘judge’ was going on holiday.
It seems that the case material is now claiming that Abdulgaziev has himself refused to undergo the necessary medical examinations, such as an ultrasound and brain scan. Aliye is understandably outraged and says that they waited for an entire month for the examinations which the court ordered the hospital to carry out. Instead of complying with this order, the prison hospital has claimed that Abdulgaziev “rejected” them.
It is difficult to know whether those making such claims are simply tormenting Tofik and his family in this way, or whether the lies are because they are 100% certain of their own impunity and see no need for credibility. All experience thus far suggests that with respect to treatment of Crimean Tatar, other Ukrainian political prisoners, the sense of impunity is warranted. It, unfortunately, appears to have spread to prison medical staff. In December 2025, Olga Anvarovna Angold was among the medics who found that Abdulgaziev had a malignant brain tumour.
By February 2026, Russia’s FSB had become involved, and Angold willing to distort the facts about Abdulgaziev’s illness and torment the gravely ill man. As reported, the day before the scheduled February hearing, Abdulgaziev was taken to a gathering of prison doctors, purportedly there to provide a current assessment of his condition, in response to a request from the court. Instead the meeting was attended by representatives of the FSB and Angold thrust a document in front of Abdulgaziev and demanded that he sign it. He asked that it be read to him, as the brain tumour has caused a dramatic deterioration in his eyesight. Angold refused, saying “sign it and then you’ll find out”, He held out as long as he could endure, but he is clearly drained and suffers terrible headaches and he ultimately signed, just to put an end to what he called “the circus”, In court, he learned that the document essentially gave Abdulgaziev a ‘clean bill of health’ and said that he had no objection to being returned from the prison hospital to a normal cell. Abdulgaziev was, understandably outraged, and made his indignation clear, for which he was removed from the courtroom.
The hearings into the compelling and urgent grounds for Abdulgaziev’s release have been postponed by a month, or two, ever since. Not so, however, the ‘court hearing’ on 3 September following criminal proceedings announced on 17 April over Abdulgaziev’s supposed ‘contempt of court’ during the February hearing. The charges were duly laid by Russia’s Investigative Committee under Article 297 § 2 of Russia’s criminal code, On the day of the hearing, Abdulgaziev was taken in the cramped conditions of a van for prisoners around numerous SIZO [remand prisons] and prison colonies and then returned last. Abdulgaziev, who also suffers from sugar diabetes, and had not been given either dry rations, or water, became extremely unwell, yet when he tried desperately to ask for help, the staff claimed he wasn’t “sick enough”. The only help he received came from one of the prisoners who gave him his bottle of water.
Judging by the symptoms he describes, it seems likely that Tofik Abdulgaziev suffered a micro-stroke on 3 September, with the right side of his body numb, a lack of control over his arm and leg, and half of his face and his speech - distorted. This is in addition, or directly linked to numerous other very serious conditions. While it is the malignant brain tumour that is causing the most acute pain, and should have led to his release at the beginning of this year, there are many others. He contracted tuberculosis in the appalling conditions of Russian detention; and became critically ill in 2024. He suffers from extremely high blood sugar; lung; heart and cardio-vascular issues, and more.
The sentence on 3 September was passed by ‘judge’ Alyona Zakorchemnaya who first established that Abdulgaziev has finally received a pension due to the grave medical conditions that first emerged after his imprisonment, including lung and heart problems, as well as the malignant tumour. The massive 100 thousand rouble fine means that all of the sickness pension that he should have received will be taken away to pay a fine for non-existent ‘contempt of court’.
There is very clearly no intention of allowing Tofik Abdulgaziev, sentenced to 12 years’ for his Crimean Solidarity civic activism, to be released. The cruel travesty, to which is being subjected is either for his tormenters’ ‘entertainment, or to fiddle the paperwork, since Tofik Abdulgaziev undoubtedly has conditions that should immediately lead to release.
It is possible that he is being deliberately tormented, as Russia has already demonstrated that it will flout its own regulations where it comes to Ukrainian political prisoners. In 2025, two political prisoners were quite correctly released on medical grounds: Lenur Khalilov (b. 8 December 1967) because of his advanced liver cancer, which has spread to the lymph nodes, and Oleksandr Sizikov (b. 1984) who is blind and walks with difficulty. Both men were later returned after the prosecutor appealed against their release and ‘courts’ lacked the courage to obey the law, not orders ‘from above’. There are several other political prisoners whose health, and probably life, are in danger because of Russian players equally unwilling to resist criminal orders.
See also:
Tofik Abdulgaziev Monstrous sentences in Russia’s war against Crimean Tatar civic activists and their children
Lenur Khalilov Crimean Tatar political prisoner returned to die in Russian captivity is in critical condition
Oleksandr Sizikov Demand Russia obeys its own laws and releases blind Ukrainian political prisoner Oleksandr Sizikov!
Amet Suleimanov Brutal Russian roulette with the life of gravely ill Crimean Tatar political prisoner
