In her appeal, Zudieva pointed to the incorrect determination of the circumstances of the case, the lack of evidence for the conclusions of the court of first instance, and the violation of Russian law. The journalist tried to prove that her activities as a court reporter and human rights defender were not political:
“The grounds for recognizing someone as a ‘foreign agent’ may be the collection of information about military facilities in the Russian Federation, political activity, and financing from abroad. Today, we insisted that a journalist is not a politician. Journalists raise unpleasant and painful topics, but it is impossible to change reality without discussing it openly with law enforcement, the authorities, and society. This is exactly what I tried to convey in court,” Zudieva said.
The journalist emphasized that almost all of the materials referred to by the Russian Ministry of Justice concerned court proceedings, administrative and criminal cases against Crimean residents, which are available in open sources. She also refuted accusations in interviews with international media and her alleged membership in the human rights organization Front Line Defenders.
“The protection of human rights is one of the main public interests. Information about the actions of law enforcement agencies, including searches and arrests, especially if they affect an entire ethnic or religious group, is of great public importance. This is due to the necessity of public control over the observance of the rights and freedoms of citizens, guaranteed by both national and international law,” she emphasized.
Representatives of the Russian Ministry of Justice asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, and the court upheld their arguments and rejected the appeal. Zudieva said she plans to appeal the decision in Russia’s Second Court of Cassation of General Jurisdiction.
On May 16, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation added Crimean Tatar journalist and human rights activist Lutfiye Zudieva to the list of so-called “foreign agents.” A statement on the ministry’s website said that the basis for this was the alleged dissemination of inaccurate information about decisions made by public authorities and the policies they pursue.
December 23, 2025
“433503, Ulyanovsk Region, Dimitrovgrad, Kalugina Street, 66, FPS FSIN of Russia in the Ulyanovsk Region, Yatskevich Sergey Alexandrovich, born in 1980,” says the report, which provides the exact address of the place of illegal detention.
According to available information, Sergey Alexandrovich Yatskov, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was taken prisoner by Russian troops in approximately January 2025. After that, he was charged with “participation in a terrorist organization” and “training in terrorist activities.”
Earlier, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 20 years in a strict regime colony, the first three years of which he must spend in prison. The charges were based on Yatskevich’s alleged service in the Crimean Tatar battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhihan, which the Russian occupation authorities unilaterally recognized as a “terrorist organization” in 2022.
The occupiers stated that Yatskov was “found guilty” under Articles 205.3 and 205.5 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the Noman Chelebidzhihan Battalion is a Ukrainian volunteer formation, most of whose members are representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.