Eduard Asanov
Eduard Asanov, born 1969, Occupied territory of Republic of Crimea. Charges: Article 208 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Participation in armed groups against the interests of the Russian Federation including in the…); “Eduard Asanov's case on participation in the activities of an illegal armed group”. Sentence (July 22, 2024): 8 years 6 months' imprisonment, of which the first 3 in prison, the rest in a strict regime colony, 1 year of restricted… Status: imprisoned; deprived of liberty since September 1, 2023; place of detention: Prison No. 2, Vladimir Oblast. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, July 15, 2025.
In brief
Sentence
8 years 6 months
imprisonment, of which the first 3 in prison, the rest in a strict regime colony, 1 year of restricted liberty
Upheld October 15, 2024
Charges
- Article 208 part 2, Russian Criminal Code — Participation in armed groups against the interests of the Russian Federation including in the territory of a foreign state
Full wording of the charges
According to the investigation, he left Crimea for the mainland of Ukraine in January 2016 and there joined an armed formation, the Noman Chelebidzhikhan Battalion, which is not stipulated by the Ukrainian legislation. Despite the fact that he returned to Crimea in 2018, he did not cease to be a member of the Battalion, as he did not declare his withdrawal from the illegal armed formation. He was a cook in the Battalion, in addition, he carried out vehicle inspections at checkpoints and sometimes went on guard duty with weapons to protect the Battalion's territory.
Latest event
July 15, 2025 — recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, July 15, 2025
Timeline
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict · 8 years 6 months
· Added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of “terrorists and extremists”
· Persecution begins
Eduard Asanov's case on participation in the activities of an illegal armed group
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
Criminal case
Eduard Asanov's case on participation in the activities of an illegal armed group
Write a letter
Facility: Prison No. 2, Vladimir Oblast
Address (in Russian, as written on the envelope)
600020, ул. Большая Нижегородская д. 67, Владимирская область, г. Владимир, ФКУ «Тюрьма № 2 УФСИН по Владимирской области» «Владимирский централ», Асанов Эдуард Айдырович, 1969 г.р.
Details and sources
Full summary
Resident of Crimea. Supposedly, in January 2016, he left for the mainland of Ukraine. Returned to Crimea in 2018. Apparently, he was detained in September 2023. At the same time, in January 2022, Asanov was sentenced to 200 hours of corrective labor in a case of intentional infliction of minor harm to health, the details are unknown. A case was opened against him for participation in the activities of an illegal armed group in connection with his involvement in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Chelebidzhikhan: according to the investigation, Asanov was a cook there and carried out searches when crossing the border between Russia and Ukraine. Asanov claimed that he worked as a cook on the coast of the Azov Sea and was not involved with the battalion. On 22 July 2024, he was sentenced to eight and a half years in a strict regime colony. On 15 October 2024, the court of appeal upheld the sentence, excluding the testimony of the FSB officer in part of his retelling of Asanov's testimony.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia, Ukraine
Other people prosecuted under Article 208 part 2, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.