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Document #2130848
RSF – Reporters Sans Frontières (Author)
Three years after Russia organised sham annexation referendums in southern and eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin is still hunting down independent journalists in the occupied territories. Arrested, tortured, or forced into exile, these media professionals have been silenced and replaced by propaganda mouthpieces. With 26 media professionals imprisoned, Russia is the biggest jailer of Ukrainian journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlights the plight of these journalists, detained for refusing to bow to Kremlin propaganda.
Secret detention, torture, forced labour — The Kremlin's repressive machine is relentless in its efforts to silence independent Ukrainian voices in the country’s occupied regions. These reporters' only “crime” is to have documented, for Ukrainian media outlets or local channels on Telegram, the consequences of the 2014 Russian invasion and the large-scale war that began in February 2022 — without cowing to Russia’s official narratives. One of these journalists, Victoria Roshchyna, died in captivity in Russia on 19 September 2024, after being arrested and tortured.
Three years after Russia’s claimed “integration” of these regions on 30 September 2022, RSF has released a gallery of portraits — updated in real-time of these imprisoned Ukrainian journalists and media workers. The information for several of these cases was gathered by RSF partner organisations in Ukraine, such as the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) and the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR).
Three years after Russia organised sham annexation referendums in southern and eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin is still hunting down independent journalists in the occupied territories. Arrested, tortured, or forced into exile, these media professionals have been silenced and replaced by propaganda mouthpieces. With 26 media professionals imprisoned, Russia is the biggest jailer of Ukrainian journalists. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) highlights the plight of these journalists, detained for refusing to bow to Kremlin propaganda.
Secret detention, torture, forced labour — The Kremlin's repressive machine is relentless in its efforts to silence independent Ukrainian voices in the country’s occupied regions. These reporters' only “crime” is to have documented, for Ukrainian media outlets or local channels on Telegram, the consequences of the 2014 Russian invasion and the large-scale war that began in February 2022 — without cowing to Russia’s official narratives. One of these journalists, Victoria Roshchyna, died in captivity in Russia on 19 September 2024, after being arrested and tortured.
Three years after Russia’s claimed “integration” of these regions on 30 September 2022, RSF has released a gallery of portraits — updated in real-time of these imprisoned Ukrainian journalists and media workers. The information for several of these cases was gathered by RSF partner organisations in Ukraine, such as the Institute of Mass Information (IMI) and the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR).
Anastasia Hlukhovska
Media: Ria-Melitopol (Ria-Pivden) (Telegram channel)
Held since 20/08/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Asan Akhtemov
Media: Advet
Held since 04/09/2021
arrested in Simferopol,
Crimea
Sentenced to 13 years in prison in September 2021
Aziz Azizov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 05/03/2024
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Ernes Ametov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 14/03/2022
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2022
Heorhiy Levchenko
Media: Ria-Melitopol (Ria-Pivden) (Telegram channel)
Held since 20/08/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Sentenced to 16 years in prison in August 2023
Iryna Danylovych
Media: contributor for InZhir-Media, Crimean Process, Krym.Realii
Held since 29/04/2022
arrested in Koktebel,
Crimea
Sentenced to 7 years in prison in December 2022
Oleksiy Bessarabov
Media: Black Sea Security
Held since 09/11/2016
arrested in Sevastopol,
Crimea
Sentenced to 14 years in prison in April 2019
Osman Arifmemetov
Media: Crimean solidarity
Held since 27/03/2019
arrested in Rostov-on-Don,
Crimea
Sentenced to 14 years in prison in November 2022
Remzi Bekirov
Media: Grani.ru
Held since 27/03/2019
arrested in Rostov-on-Don,
Sentenced to 11 years in prison in March 2022
Rustem Osmanov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 05/03/2024
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Server Mustafayev
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 21/05/2018
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Sentenced to 14 years in prison in September 2020
Timur Ibrahimov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 11/10/2017
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Sentenced to 17 years in prison in September 2020
Vilen Temerianov
Media: Grani.ru
Held since 11/08/2022
arrested in Vilne,
Crimea
Vladyslav Hershon
Media: Melitopol tse Ukraina (Telegram channel)
Held since 20/08/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Sentenced to 15 years in prison in September 2025
Yana Suvorova
Media: Melitopol tse Ukraina (Telegram channel)
Held since 20/08/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Yevheniy Ilchenko
Media: Mylitopol (Telegram channel)
Held since 10/07/2022
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Dmytro Shtyblikov
Media: Black Sea Security
Held since 09/11/2016
arrested in Sevastopol,
Crimea
Sentenced to 19 years and 6 months in prison in November 2016
Seyran Saliev
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 11/10/2017
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Sentenced to 15 years in prison in October 2017
Amet Suleymanov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 11/03/2020
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Sentenced to 12 years in prison in March 2020
Marlen Asanov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 11/10/2017
arrested in Bakhchysarai,
Crimea
Sentenced to 19 years in prison in October 2017
Rustem Sheikhaliev
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 27/03/2019
arrested in Simferopol,
Crimea
Sentenced to 14 years in prison in March 2019
Ruslan Suleymanov
Media: Crimean Solidarity
Held since 27/03/2019
arrested in Simferopol,
Crimea
Sentenced to 14 years in prison in March 2019
Hennadiy Osmak
Media: Novyi Vizyt
Held since 11/03/2024
arrested in Henichesk
Kherson
Maksym Rupchov
Media: Melitopol tse Ukraina (Telegram channel)
Held since 20/08/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Oleksandr Malyshev
Media: Melitopol tse Ukraina (Telegram channel)
Held since 20/08/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
Iryna Levchenko (journaliste à la retraite)
Media: Fakty i Kommentary, Industrialne Zaporizhzhia
Held since 06/05/2023
arrested in Melitopol,
Zaporizhzhia
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