The occupation ‘court’ in Crimea sentenced a student of Kherson University to 10 years in prison

February 14, 2025
An occupation ‘court’ in Crimea has sentenced Anna Yeltsova, a student of Kherson University who was abducted in 2022. She was sentenced to 10 years in a strict regime colony after being held in complete isolation for 2 years without access to a lawyer and family contact in the Akmesdzhit pre-trial detention facility in Simferopol. This was reported by the initiative ‘Tribunal. Crimean Episode’ initiative.

According to the occupiers, Anna Yeltsova, a resident of the Genichesk district, allegedly collected data on the movement of Russian military equipment and passed it on to Ukrainian intelligence.

The girl was kidnapped in December 2022, and only in October 2024, the occupation FSB officially announced her arrest on charges of espionage. All this time, she was completely isolated from the outside world. This is a gross violation of human rights and a war crime.

It should be noted that the charges in this ‘case’ are based on the testimony of ‘hidden witnesses’ and the opinion of so-called experts who actively cooperate with Russian security forces. The trial was conducted in flagrant violation of international law.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center expresses its strong protest and declares that this decision is illegal, politically motivated and criminal. This policy of the Russian Federation is a demonstration of the struggle against the political beliefs of citizens in the occupied Crimea.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center demands the cancellation of the sentence to the defendant in the case and the immediate release of other political prisoners.