Women in Crimea are increasingly persecuted, and sentences have become harsher - human rights group

In temporarily occupied Crimea, Russians are pursuing a deliberate policy of persecuting women to destroy any resistance. The terms of sentences have also increased and become harsher. This was stated by the Permanent Representative of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Olha Kuryshko.

Details

Olha Kuryshko, Permanent Representative of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, stated during a press briefing that women are increasingly becoming victims of politically motivated persecution in Crimea.

Currently, we have over 200 political prisoners, and their number is growing, especially after the full-scale invasion. We have over 1500 administrative cases for the so-called discrediting of the Russian armed forces. The trend we are observing now is that the presence of persecuted women is increasing. If earlier it was 50/50, now more and more women are becoming victims of politically motivated persecution in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Olha Skrypnyk, head of the NGO "Crimean Human Rights Group," noted that the persecutions, which began immediately in 2014, also affected women, but the scale was not as large as it is now.

If in 2022, we said that we saw new steps from Russia regarding the persecution of women, then now in 2025, we are absolutely sure that this is a separate, targeted policy of persecuting women. This is part of an attempt to destroy any resistance in the occupied territories, and women are part of this resistance. Therefore, the FSB has a free hand to persecute.

She noted that before 2022, there were up to 5 women among political prisoners in the joint lists of human rights defenders. Now, for example, in the list of the NGO "Crimean Human Rights Group" alone, there are already 40 women.

In addition, the cruelty towards women has sharply changed.

She noted that before 2022, the longest sentence for a woman - Halyna Dovhopola - was 12 years.

Back then, it was terrible and indeed the longest. But today, the longest sentence for women is already 22 years, which was handed down this year. Other sentences, for example, in 2024, 2025, are 15 years for Oksana Senedzhuk, 16 years for Nina Tymoshenko. Now we see that even 12 years, such a sentence no longer exists. All sentences are longer.

In addition, Russians began to persecute women not just under political articles, but mostly under the article on state treason or espionage.

Another trend is that almost all women are persecuted not just under political articles, but mostly under the article on state treason or espionage. This means not only long sentences, but also that almost all cases against women are closed. Women are tried by a military court in Rostov, which is also a violation of international humanitarian law. These women do not return to Crimea. There are no women's colonies in Crimea, so all convicted women are taken to Russia.

Addition

Olha Kuryshko, Permanent Representative of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, reported that a humanitarian crisis is escalating in temporarily occupied Crimea. Russians on the peninsula are depleting resources, including creating a water crisis.