Since 2014, only 12 civilian political prisoners from Crimea have been returned from Russian occupation
Since 2014, only 12 civilian Crimean political prisoners have been released from Russian detention facilities.
This was stated by Eskender Bariev, chairman of the board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.
According to him, Ukraine managed to repatriate 8 Crimean political prisoners before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and another four after 2022.
Bariyev emphasized that Russia systematically avoids including Crimean political prisoners, particularly Crimean Tatars, on exchange lists, despite repeated appeals from the Ukrainian side during negotiations.
He noted that following the occupation of Crimea, political persecution has become systematic, and conditions of detention are inhumane—involving torture, psychological pressure, and violations of basic human rights.
The human rights activist emphasized that some political prisoners have been behind bars for over 10 years and are in critical health.
“I must emphasize that Crimean political prisoners must be systematically included in the exchange process, as some of them have been behind bars for over 10 years,” Bariev noted.
He also called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia, impose personal sanctions against those involved in the repression, and facilitate the release of all Ukrainian political prisoners.
As a reminder, since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine has managed to repatriate 150 children who were abducted by Russia.
Recently, 11 servicemen from the 1st Corps of the National Guard “Azov” and one soldier from the “Kara-Dag” brigade were successfully returned from Russian captivity.
