Seyran Asanov, a Ukrainian serviceman and Crimean Tatar who was taken prisoner by Russia in the autumn of 2024, has been transferred to the "Vladimir Central" prison. A Russian court sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment: Asanov is to serve the first five years in prison and the remaining 15 in a correctional colony. This was reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).

Asanov was captured on October 18, 2024, near the settlement of Zolotaya Niva in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region. The CTRC noted that approximately 17 months elapsed between his capture and the sentencing.

The organization also pointed out that, shortly before the verdict was announced, Asanov's relatives did not yet know the exact date it would be handed down. On March 11, 2026, the lawyer appointed for the serviceman, Elizaveta Mikaelyan, informed his ex-wife, Nadezhda, that proceedings were ongoing and a court decision was expected after a few more hearings. Asanov was sentenced on April 2.

"It took the occupiers 17 months after capturing the serviceman to fabricate a case against him and hand down an illegal sentence for a crime he did not commit," the CTRC stated.

Asanov is the third Ukrainian serviceman to be illegally convicted by Russian authorities in connection with the so-called Noman Çelebicihan Battalion case.

The Noman Çelebicihan Battalion is a Crimean Tatar formation that emerged in early 2016 during the blockade of the administrative border with occupied Crimea. Following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, a volunteer combat unit bearing the same name was formed within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In 2022, the Supreme Court of Russia designated the battalion a terrorist organization. At the same time, Russian authorities are prosecuting individuals who participated in the civic formation that existed prior to the full-scale invasion.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC) believes that the Russian Supreme Court's ruling served as the basis for prosecuting individuals linked to the battalion.

"The Russian occupation authorities designated it a 'terrorist organization' to justify political persecution. Social media posts, photographs, or testimony from secret witnesses serve as the formal 'evidence' in these cases. The CTRC calls on Ukrainian state authorities to make every possible effort to include Seyran Asanov and other unlawfully convicted Ukrainian servicemen in prisoner exchange lists and to secure their return to Ukraine. Seyran’s young daughter, Diana, is especially looking forward to his return," the CTRC statement reads.