From former ‘Aidar’ fighters to Crimean Tatars: new political prisoners
Among those recognised as political prisoners are former members of Ukrainian units, Crimean Tatars, and Russian citizens accused of intending to fight for Ukraine. All of the cases are linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Thirteen residents of the occupied Kherson region of Ukraine have been charged with alleged involvement in the Crimean Tatar Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, which existed between 2015 and 2017. Khalil Ametov, Ibraim Asanov, Eskender Audzhy, Bekir Huhuryk, Serhii Hudym, Husein Huseinov, Mamed Dovhopoly, Eldar Karamurzaev, Rustam Mevliutov, Kostiantyn Tereshchenko and Ihor Khalilov have already been sentenced to between three and a half and eight years’ imprisonment on charges of participation in an illegal armed formation. Bilial Abdurakhmanov and Asan Bai face charges under the same article.
Four further cases concern alleged involvement in the Ukrainian ‘Aidar’ battalion, which has been designated a terrorist organisation in Russia. Konstantin Lantinov, Vladimir Kuznetsov, Vladimir Savchuk and Lyubov Selina, who served in ‘Aidar’ between 2014 and 2018, were detained in occupied Ukrainian territories and charged with participation in a terrorist community. Full details are not available, but Lyubov Selina has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and Vladimir Savchuk to five and a half years.
Russian nationals have also been prosecuted over alleged links to Ukrainian units. Roman Larionov from Saratov and Aleksandr Mirkulov from Samara were accused of attempting to join the Freedom of Russia Legion. Roman Larionov, who had only just turned 18 at the time of his arrest, was detained in May 2023 in Bryansk region while attempting to cross into Ukraine. Alexander Mirkulov, a veteran of the Chechen wars who later worked as a mechanic, was detained in 2024 near the border with Kazakhstan. Roman Larionov was sentenced to 12 years and 10 months’ imprisonment for attempted treason and attempted participation in a terrorist organisation, Alexander Mirkulov received 10 years for preparing to commit those offences.
Ihor Bunin from Sevastopol has also been recognised as a political prisoner. He was arrested on treason charges for allegedly passing publicly available information on the location of Russian military units and naval vessels to Ukrainian intelligence in autumn 2022. In February 2024, he was sentenced to 15 years in a high-security penal colony.
Another Crimean resident, pensioner Andrei Maksimov, was detained in February 2024. After nearly a month of repeated administrative arrests, he was charged with confidential cooperation with foreign nationals. He remained in custody until at least November 2024, his subsequent fate is unknown.
Yury Belenky, an IT specialist who had lived in Bulgaria with his family since 2015 but travelled to Russia, was detained at Sheremetyevo airport in September 2025. Following an administrative arrest, he was placed in pre-trial detention on charges of financing terrorism. Investigators allege that in 2023 he transferred 62,000 roubles in cryptocurrency to blogger Arkady Babchenko, funds said to have been used to support the ‘Azov’ unit.
You can read more about these cases, including addresses to write to the political prisoners, in our full report.
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