Alena Lunova took part in a briefing on the situation in Crimea and strengthening the policy of non-recognition of the occupation
On 10 September 2026, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea hosted a briefing entitled “Towards the Crimea Platform: The Situation in Crimea and Strengthening the Policy of Non-Recognition of the Occupation”. The event brought together representatives of embassies, consulates and international missions, Ukrainian officials, experts and civil society representatives, including the Human Rights Centre ZMINA.
Briefing participants Participants discussed the situation in occupied Crimea, the policy of non-recognition of the occupation, pressure through sanctions, holding Russia accountable for its aggression and crimes, and the security and human dimensions of the occupation.
Those taking part included Olha Kuryshko, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People; Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Adviser and Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Sanctions Policy; Anton Korynevych, Director of the Department of International Law and Legal Counteraction to Aggression at Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Alina Frolova, Deputy Chair of the Board of the Centre for Defence Strategies and Coordinator of the Security Track of the Crimea Platform Expert Network; and Alena Lunova, Advocacy Director at the Human Rights Centre ZMINA.
In her opening remarks, Olha Kuryshko urged diplomats to pay attention to Russia’s efforts to legitimise its occupation of Crimea, including through the activities of so-called “Russian Houses” and propaganda exhibitions such as “Crimean Gold: “Civilised” Europe Plunders Russian Treasures”.
“We call on the international community to pay attention to such events and prevent cultural diplomacy from being used to justify aggression”, Olha Kuryshko said.
Olha KuryshkoYevhen Perebyinis spoke about the Crimea Platform’s five years of work and the need to strengthen the policy of non-recognition of the occupation of Crimea. Refat Chubarov highlighted the plight of people living under occupation, the persecution of Crimean Tatars and political prisoners, and the importance of international advocacy to secure prisoners’ release. Vladyslav Vlasiuk and Anton Korynevych discussed sanctions and holding Russia accountable for its aggression, including through the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
During the discussion, Alena Lunova spoke about the human dimension of the occupation and Russia’s systematic policies targeting children and young people in occupied Crimea.
She stressed that any discussion of the occupied territories must centre on the people whose rights Russia systematically violates.
ZMINA’s Advocacy Director pointed out that, since the occupation of Crimea began, Russia has failed to comply with the rules of international humanitarian law governing occupied territories. Instead, Russia has steadily developed a legal framework designed to fully incorporate the occupied territories into its legal and political system.
Alena LunovaAlena Lunova identified the militarisation and indoctrination of children and young people as one manifestation of this policy. She stressed that these practices are not merely abstract phenomena documented in reports by international organisations: they form part of a policy with a specific purpose and tangible consequences.
“When we speak of the militarisation and indoctrination of children in the occupied territories, these are not euphemisms or simply phrases that look good in reports by international organisations. Militarisation in the occupied territories has a specific purpose and tangible results”, she said.
ZMINA’s Advocacy Director cited the case of a young man who had been listed in a register of deported Ukrainian children and was later mobilised into Russian armed formations and fought against Ukraine. At the same time, Alena Lunova urged people not to view young people who remain in the occupied territories as a “lost generation”. She said that militarisation and indoctrination are not all-encompassing, and that the experiences of children and young people who have managed to leave the occupied territories show that it is possible to retain their identity and reintegrate into Ukrainian society.
Alena Lunova and Viktoriia (holding the microphone) Viktoriia, who has left the peninsula, shared her experience of living in occupied Crimea at the briefing. She was 11 when the occupation began and described how Russia gradually exerted influence on children through education, youth organisations and so-called patriotic events.
Alena Lunova said that international support should focus not only on holding Russia accountable for crimes already committed, but also on helping people who can leave the occupied territories.
She called on representatives of diplomatic missions to provide financial and political support for programmes that help children and young people leave the occupied territories, share information about options for leaving, and provide support after their return to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
Photo credit: Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
