Over the past decade of Russian occupation, Crimea's population has shifted by 35%.

Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Russian authorities have altered over 35% of the peninsula's population, reported acting permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, Olga Kurishko, to the publication “Tyzhden”.

The human rights situation in occupied Crimea has significantly deteriorated since Russia's occupation in 2014, marked by widespread violations and systematic suppression of dissent. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has documented numerous abuses, including unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, and torture, particularly against Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists.

Kurishko notes that a sociological study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) revealed substantial changes in the ethnic composition of Crimea's population after the annexation.

It indicated that the Russian authorities organized a mass relocation of Russian citizens to Crimea, and after 2022, forcibly resettled individuals from newly occupied Ukrainian territories.

“The estimated number of new arrivals to Crimea is around one million. At the same time, thousands of Ukrainian citizens have been compelled to leave their homes due to systematic persecution, repression by the occupiers, militarization, rejection of the occupation, and unwillingness to live under it,” she explained.

Kurishko added that for a region with a population of approximately 2.5 million, this means that even by modest estimates, over 35% of residents have changed over a decade of occupation.

Previously, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, Denys Chistyakov, stated that in 2024, Russia conscripted 5,500 residents of Crimea, with the total number of mobilized individuals reaching 20,000 since 2022, as reported by Espresso.

In addition, around 500 Crimeans have been sentenced for refusing to serve in the occupying forces.