A 68-year-old veteran opposition activist was arrested after displaying a sign reading "PUTIN HITLER" from the side of a prominent bridge over the Moskva River in the center of the Russian capital May 6. Grigory Saksonov, also known as Uncle Grisha, climbed over the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge holding the sign and clad in wetsuit before lowering himself into the water below with a rope. He was pulled out of the river by police and taken away in an ambulance. Saksonov, who has been arrested before in actions in support of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and had maintained a citizen's memorial on the bridge for slain opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, faces charges of "taking part in an unauthorized action" and "disobeying a police officer." (Novaya Gazeta)

Six Crimean Tatar men received long prison terms from a Russian court April 29, following a trial considered "illegal" by the Ukrainian government and human rights groups. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don handed down 14-year sentences to Khalil Mambetov, Refat Seydametov, Osman Abdurazakov, Leman Zekeriayev and Ekrem Krosh. Ayder Asanov was given 11 years. Although accused of "participation in the activities of a terrorist organization" and "preparation for the violent seizure of power" under Articles 205.5 and 30.278 of the Russian Criminal Code, the charges concern their involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir, a transnational Muslim civic organization that is banned in Russia but is legal in Ukraine and most countries around the world. Additionally, the nonviolent activities in question took place in Crimea, which Russia has illegally occupied and declared annexed since 2014. Kyiv, and governments around the world, recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine. (KHPG, Intent)

The representative body of the Crimean Tatar people has vowed to oppose any international recognition of Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The Tatar Mejlis, now sitting in exile in Kyiv, said Apri 22 that any move to recognize Crimea as Russian territory would violate international law.  Refat Chubarov, the body's chairman, asserted in a statement: "Crimea is the homeland of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people and an integral part of Ukraine. Accordingly, no one can decide the fate of Crimea under any circumstances, except for the Ukrainian state and the Crimean Tatar people."

The Petrogradsky District Court of St. Petersburg in Russia has sentenced 19-year-old activist Daria Kozyreva to two years and eight months in prison for "discrediting the armed forces" by publicly posting a verse of 19th-century Ukrainian poetry in protest of Russia's war in Ukraine, according to local media sources.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concluded March 19 that widespread enforced disappearances and torture committed by Russia during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine constitute "crimes against humanity." The announcement marks a significant development, as crimes against humanity constitute one of the most serious classifications of international crimes.

Human Rights Watch on March 13 criticized the proposed European Union "Returns Regulation" for undocumented migrants as "cruel and unrealistic" for allowing longer detention and harsher treatment.

The European Commission seeks to establish standardized procedures so that returns of migrants can be more efficient while still respecting fundamental human rights. The proposed rule provides mandatory forced return if the undocumented migrant does not cooperate with an EU member state in the return procedure. Additionally, individuals deemed security risks could be detained for more than 24 months with judicial authorization.

The New York Times reported March 17 that the United States is withdrawing from the International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA), created to hold Russia accountable for its invasion and seizure of territory in Ukraine. "The US authorities have informed me that they will conclude their involvement in the ICPA by the end of March," Michael Schmid, president of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (EuroJust) told the Times.

The Helsinki District Court in Finland on March 14 sentenced a 38-year-old man to life for committing war crimes in Ukraine. Voislav Torden, 38, a Russian-Norwegian better known as Yan Petrovskiy, was deputy commander of a neo-Nazi paramilitary unit called Rusich, which participated in Russia's first incursions into Ukraine in 2014. According to prosecutors, Petrovskyi was responsible for leading an attack on Ukraine's eastern frontier, which left approximately 20 Ukrainian troops dead. Petrovskyi was accused of ordering his men to carve Rusich's emblem into the chest of a wounded Ukrainian soldier. He was also charged for posing with a dead soldier's body for photos, which were later uploaded to social media.