The death of Virati was reported by the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, who said that the relatives were notified on February 10, the exact date of death is unknown.
The Crimean Tatar Rustem Virati was detained in March 2023 in Novoalekseevka, Kherson region, occupied by Russian authorities. In December of the same year, he was included in the list of «terrorists and extremists» by Rosfinmonitoring.
Later, Virati was sentenced to eight years in a high-security colony for participating in the Crimean Tatar volunteer battalion named after Noman Çelebicihan, which is recognized as a «terrorist» organization in Russia. He was charged under the article on participation in an armed formation for purposes contrary to the interests of Russia.
According to Chubarov, during the investigation, the elderly man was beaten and tortured during interrogations. After the sentence came into legal force, Virati was transferred to the Dimitrovgrad prison in the Ulyanovsk region, where he died.
Rustem Virati is survived by his wife and three adult children.
* Included in the list of «terrorists and extremists».