In Ukraine, February is the month of violent memories

Last month was doubly heartbreaking for Ukrainians. Two events, years apart but both in February, shook them to the core and changed their lives.

When you ask Ukrainians how long it has been since Russia invaded their country, they don’t say four years. It was on February 24, 2022 when the world was jolted by the march of Russian tanks towards the capital, Kyiv, but were met by fierce resistance from the Ukrainian soldiers.
Their reply: It’s been 12 years! Ukrainians say Russia’s war began much earlier, on February 20, 2014, when it occupied Crimea and illegally annexed it. The website Crimea Platform gives this account:
“Russian soldiers without insignia appeared on the Ukrainian peninsula. They blocked Ukrainian military units and established control over strategic facilities…. However, the world did not provide a tough response to the occupation of Crimea — there were no actions that would genuinely force the aggressor to retreat. This sense of impunity only emboldened Russia to escalate further.”
Thus, the Ukrainians say, the full-scale invasion happened eight years later.
A bit of background: Crimea, a diamond-shaped peninsula, is an autonomous region of Ukraine. It has been coveted by Russia because of its strategic location, a “key to control over activities in the Black Sea — a critical corridor for the world’s grain, among other goods.”
The United Nations missions have documented a series of human rights violations in Crimea. The Kremlin suppressed dissent and “individuals who opposed or challenged the occupation were subjected to… enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and torture…” As of 2025, there were more than 200 political prisoners.

The case of Ernes Ametov

I am zooming in on one political prisoner in Crimea, Ernes Ametov, adding my voice to those who advocate his release. The Ukrainian embassy in Manila has asked me to be part of their foreign ministry’s “mentoring” program to raise awareness on the plight of prisoners in Crimea. A number of personalities from Europe and the US have responded to the call of Ukraine’s foreign ministry.

Ametov was a journalist and activist who was “deeply involved in the civic movement Crimean Solidarity, assisting victims of political persecution and their families.” He documented repression against Crimean Tatars and other activists, “including recording interviews with the parents and wives of imprisoned individuals.” 

Born in May 1985, Ametov is married and has two sons. He has a degree in law, worked as an entrepreneur and journalist, and is a specialist in internet connectivity, according to PEN Ukraine. 

Russia’s FSB or Federal Security Service, an internal security and counterintelligence service, one of the successors of the Soviet-era KGB, detained him without evidence in 2017. The investigation lasted three years, and in 2020, Ametov was released from custody due to the lack of evidence. However, in 2022, the decision was reevaluated, and Ametov was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Ametov was imprisoned for participating in the activity of a terrorist organization as alleged by the Russian Federation.

PEN Ukraine quoted Ametov as saying: 

“A human being has been given brain to analyze and correlate information. This is what I did. If it’s a crime – then, pardon me, I don’t know how else I could live my life if I’m even forbidden to correlate information. Be just a mediocre not raising my head higher than required in this country.”

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said Ametov, a Muslim, was also imprisoned for his religious activity and alleged religious association. Ametov said he was targeted for going to a mosque and talking about his pilgrimage to Mecca. 

Ametov is one of many Crimean Tatar activists who have been detained. The Crimean Tatars are a Muslim ethnic minority indigenous to the Crimean peninsula. Many openly opposed Russia’s occupation. Human Rights Watch said the goal was to completely silence dissent. 

Campaigners

Ukraine’s foreign ministry has been actively seeking support for political prisoners in Crimea. European and American politicians, diplomats, and public figures have responded and are giving their voices to the voiceless. 

Some of the campaigners are:

• Francis Fukuyama, a prominent American political scientist and author;
• Antonio Stango,  a political scientist and human rights expert from Italy;
• Polish member of the European Parliament Anna Fotyga;
• German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union political party Ruprecht Polenz;
• William Taylor, former ambassador of the United States to Ukraine; and
• Polish member of the European Parliament Małgorzata Gosiewska.

While Ukraine is distant from the Philippines, we are connected by the values we uphold, anchored on liberal democracy. They face a hegemon, Russia, and, in this part of the world, we also face ours, China. 

Let me know what you think. You can email me at marites.vitug@rappler.com.

Till next newsletter!