Lenur Islyamov

After the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Islyamov worked for about two months as vice-premier in the local government, but later he had disagreements with the authorities of the peninsula. Islyamov’s TV channel, ATR, was not registered by Roskomnadzor, ceased broadcasting in April, and later relocated to Kyiv, where Islyamov himself also eventually moved.

Islyamov is one of the organizers of the commercial blockade of Crimea from Ukrainian territory. The Crimean prosecutor’s office expressed its intention to criminally prosecute the initiators of the blockade. On 2 November 2015, it became known that a case had been opened against him for calls to violate the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation. Searches were conducted at businesses owned by the Islyamov family. The Central Bank of Russia revoked the license of the family-owned bank due to risky lending practices. Later, it became known that Islyamov was also being investigated under charges of sabotage and organizing an armed formation.

On 10 December 2020, he was sentenced in absentia to 19 years in a maximum-security penal colony. On 8 April 2021, the appellate court reduced the sentence by one year.