Refugees in kyiv, Ukrainians fled Crimea in 2014, the year of its annexation. Since then, they have returned clandestinely to document the war crimes taking place there.
It is the first area to be annexed by Russia, in 2014. The presqu’île of Crimea, undoubtedly the most sensitive issue in the war with Ukraine, both symbolic and geopolitical. Moscow made it a military base from which these missiles launch into Ukraine. Three days ago, kyiv bombed the military port in Sevastopol.
Since the annexation, repression has only increased in the region. And even more so since the large-scale invasion. Franceinfo collected the testimony of a Ukrainian citizen who, with other citizens, documents these war crimes in Crimea.
High-risk clandestine investigations
Olga, in her thirties, introduces herself straightforwardly: “I am president of an organization that works publicly in kyiv, but clandestinely in Crimea.” En 2014, Russia annexes Crimea. “It was from there that we started to deal with human rights, because large-scale kidnappings and persecutions began.”explains the Ukrainian.
Two friends of Olga, also democracy activists, are arrested. Very quickly, Olga is in turn threatened. She remembers : “IThey told me I would be next, and that my husband would never find me. Russian military intelligence gave me two hours to gather my belongings. I had to to leave Crimea”. Its Crimea, occupied, transformed into a prison to lock up Ukrainians captured in the territories recently occupied by the Russian army.
110 prisoners victims of torture
Forced into exile, Olga has since worked tirelessly with the help of those who remained, and who at their own risk, documented war crimes as discreetly as possible. The repression has become even worse since the large-scale invasion, testifies the young woman. “I’ll give you one example among many: two weeks ago, seven simple civilians were arrested in my small hometown. They are accused of trying to overthrow the regime in Russia.”.
“In Simferopol, Russian intelligence (editor’s note: FSB) opened a second detention center. We managed to document the presence of at least 110 prisoners there. And all of them, all of them are victims of torture. They receive practically no care medical. They may simply die.”
HAS unable to actively help them as long as Crimea is occupied, Olga and her colleagues investigate and document. Their hope: to compile files to contribute to the work of international justice, so that those responsible can be judged and convicted, with Vladimir Putin in the lead.