Criminal charges have been brought against a number of Crimean residents implicated in the alignment with the Hizb ut-Tahrir terrorist organization, the regional branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Wednesday.

"In furtherance of the criminal investigation, homes of followers of the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami international terrorist organization banned in Russia are being searched on March 27, 2019," the statement said.

According to it, the searches are being carried out by the FSB, the Interior Ministry, and the Russian National Guard.

The number of suspects is not specified.