CrimeaSOS recommends following the rules of safe communication in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine

The occupiers will continue increasing the pressure on the residents of the occupied Crimea for their pro-Ukrainian position, punishing them under the article “discrediting the army of the russian federation” or “demonstrating Nazi symbols”. Any manifestations of opposition to the occupation by residents of temporarily occupied territories in social networks or public places may lead to administrative penalties or criminal prosecution. 

On May 2, 2023, a video went viral on social networks. In this video, a resident of the occupied Yalta answered: “We are for Ukraine” when asked whether he was afraid of a counteroffensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Later, the occupiers found the young man, took him to the occupation police station and forced him to record an “apology” video.

In this regard, CrimeaSOS strongly recommends residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine the following:

• do not repost news and materials of pro-Ukrainian content in social networks and delete all previous similar reposts from your pages and groups;
• do not leave pro-Ukrainian comments under the publications of occupation mass media, bloggers, etc. from personal accounts;
• do not leave comments under publications of Ukrainian media, bloggers, public figures, etc. in social networks and media sites from personal accounts;
• do not post reactions under the publications of organizations banned and “unwanted” in russia (including CrimeaSOS) in social networks;
• do not utter pro-Ukrainian slogans and narratives in public space (especially in comments to the occupation media and bloggers), if you can be further identified.

Since March 2022, occupation courts have considered at least 284 administrative cases of “discrediting the russian army” in Crimea. Most of them concern publications on social networks that contradict the kremlin’s position. Now, it is known that at least three criminal cases on “discrediting the russian army” have been instituted in the occupied Crimea.

According to CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko, a systematic practice of persecution for Ukrainian symbols, attributes and other manifestations of pro-Ukrainian views developed in Crimea during the occupation. “In this context, persecution of Crimeans for Ukrainian music [pro-Ukrainian narratives, slogans, etc. — ed.] may fall under a crime against humanity. The persons involved may be prosecuted for this, at the International Criminal Court”, — the analyst believes.

We also remind you that on March 27, 2023, the prosecutor general’s office of russia recognized CrimeaSOS as an “undesirable” organization due to activities that “threaten the security and constitutional order of the russian federation”. Therefore, we strongly recommend to our readers and beneficiaries who are in the temporarily occupied territories:

• contact the CrimeaSOS hotline or other organizations, using secure means of communication, such as Signal;
• before handing over important information (if you have become a victim or a witness to a violation of human rights, international humanitarian law or other illegal actions of the russian federation), make sure that it is safe for you.