Russia escalates repressions in occupied Crimea: secret prisons and hundreds kidnapped
Since the full-scale invasion, Russia has intensified its practice of kidnappings and secret detention in occupied Crimea, establishing new isolation facilities and using pre-designed scenarios.
According to data from the investigative organization Mnemonic, at least 230 people have become victims of enforced disappearances in Crimea since 2014. After the full-scale invasion began, this number includes not only Crimean residents but also other Ukrainians who were secretly transported to the peninsula.
The study authors note that kidnappings are a systematic part of Russian policy, carried out mainly by FSB structures. In March 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a secret decree allowing detention without a court decision for "resistance to the special military operation" – a formulation so broad that any manifestation of disloyalty can serve as grounds.
Russia has established a clandestine detention system in occupied Crimea, including a new pre-trial detention facility (SIZO No. 2) in Simferopol, where both prisoners of war and kidnapped civilians are held. Detainees are not charged for months or even years, kept in isolation without contact with the outside world.
Researchers state that these crimes meet the international law criteria for enforced disappearance and constitute crimes against humanity.
