Lena Patyaeva, a friend of missing Chechen native Seda Suleimanova, was charged with an administrative offense after a solo picket in Grozny. She held the protest on August 23, the third anniversary of Suleimanova's disappearance. Under the charges against her, Patyaeva faces up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to 300,000 rubles.
In January-March 2023, the Russian authorities carried out 83 arrests in Crimea on politically motivated cases. Of these, 54 were against members of the Crimean Tatar people. In addition, 21 searches were carried out, 19 of them in the homes of Crimean Tatars.
According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, since 2014 many activists have been subjected to repression by the Russian authorities. The most common reason is the accusation of involvement in the activities of the Islamic organization «Hizb ut-Tahrir», which is prohibited in Russia, but is legally operating in Europe.
Also, many residents left the Crimea, having moved to the inner regions of Ukraine. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Crimean Tatars have been actively participating in military operations on the side of the APU.