📍On 18 May, a memorial event marking the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide took place at the Square of Peace in Kyiv. The event was attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and First Lady Olena Zelenska. They placed lit kerosene lamps by the memorial as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars deported from their native land by the Soviet authorities in 1944.
🤝 The commemorative event was also attended by representatives of state authorities and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.
📌 In his speech, the President of Ukraine emphasised that Ukraine preserves the memory of the victims of the Crimean Tatar deportation and continues the struggle to restore justice.
🗣️ «Our people know clearly: we cannot surrender our independence. We will return all our territories and we remember everyone,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.
The leader of the Crimean Tatar people and Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Mustafa Dzhemiliev, addressed the attendees.
💭 «Deportation and genocide are tragedies that will forever remain in the historical and genetic memory of the Crimean Tatar people.»
➡️ At the conclusion of the event, the Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sheikh Aider Rustemov, recited a prayer in memory of the victims of the deportation and genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.
🇪🇺 Member of the European Parliament Ilhan Kyuchyuk, who is a mentor to the illegally imprisoned Crimean Tymur Ibrahimov, has recorded a message for the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide.
In his video address, he emphasised the importance of remembering the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars and highlighted the resilience of the Crimean Tatar people, who, despite repression and persecution, continue to preserve their identity, culture, and dignity.
📌 Tymur Ibrahimov is a Crimean Tatar citizen journalist and an activist with the «Crimean Solidarity» initiative. In 2019, a Russian «court» sentenced him to 17 years of imprisonment in the «Hizb ut-Tahrir» case. Human rights defenders consider his persecution to be politically motivated and link it to his civic activism and his work in highlighting repressions in Crimea.
🕯️On 18 May, a memorial event marking the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide was held at the Square of Peace in Kyiv. The ceremony was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska. They placed lit kerosene lamps by the memorial in memory of the hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars deported from their native land by the Soviet authorities in 1944.
🗣️ «Our people know clearly: we cannot surrender our independence. We will return all our territories and we remember everyone,» emphasised Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Stalin’s deportation of the Crimean Tatars on May 18, 1944, remains one of the gravest crimes against humanity. By its nature and consequences, it meets the international definition of genocide—an attempt to erase the Crimean Tatar people as an Indigenous nation from their homeland, and suppress their culture, language, and traditions. Today, Russia’s temporary occupation of Crimea continues many of the same repressive patterns and must face full legal accountability.
Today, on the Day of Remembrance of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, we remember those who were deported and silenced.
Russia continues to hold Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war illegally taken from their homes, from occupied territories, from their families.
Today we want to tell you about two of them.
Volodymyr Ananiyev - Russia’s oldest Ukrainian political prisoner, abducted by russian security services.
Appaz Kurtamet - the youngest Ukrainian prisoner taken from Ukraine, abducted in the summer of 2022 while visiting his family home in occupied Kherson. He was sentenced to seven years.
There is something very specific you can do: write them a letter. A letter reminds them they are not forgotten. That hope is still alive.
👉 Follow the link in our bio for step-by-step instructions on how to write to a Ukrainian prisoner held by Russia.
Your words can give hope.
🕯To mark the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, we are sharing stories that hold special significance today.
🎥 The heroes of this video are Crimean Tatars for whom the experience of deportation is a part of their family memory. Each has their own story, but all are united by a common pain: the loss of their native home and the struggle to return, which has spanned decades.
In this video:
🔹 Siniver Kadyrov — the last political prisoner of the Soviet Union, participant in the Crimean Tatar National Movement;
🔹 Aishe Arnautova — Senior Lecturer at the Department of General and Slavic Linguistics, National University of «Kyiv-Mohyla Academy»;
🔹 Zemfira Bektiemirova — Head Chef at the «Musafir» Crimean Tatar restaurant;
🔹 Shevket Zmorka — accordionist and Honoured Artist of Ukraine.
Every hero in this video embodies what Crimean Tatars have managed to preserve despite deportation and decades of exile: their language, music, cuisine, traditions, and their own history, which they pass on from generation to generation.
🏡 Since 2014, many have once again found themselves far from their native home due to the illegal occupation of Crimea by Russia, which continues to replicate Soviet practices, once again depriving people of their homeland.
Despite this, they maintain faith in returning home and continue to safeguard their identity.
🤝 This video was prepared by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Crimea Platform Office with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, funded by the governments of Canada, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. The content of the video is the sole responsibility of the Mission and does not necessarily reflect the position of the Fund and/or its financial partners.
Today marks 82 years since the forced deportation of the Crimean Tatar people – one of the most brutal crimes of the Stalinist totalitarian regime and an act of genocide against the indigenous people of Crimea.
Ukraine honours the memory of all victims of the deportation and expresses deep respect for the Crimean Tatar people who, despite decades of repression, preserved their national identity, culture, language, and unwavering aspiration for freedom and justice.
Crimea is Ukraine.
Qırım – Ukrainadır.
Qırım serbest olacaq!
🕯️ Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide
Today, we remember one of the most tragic chapters in the history of Crimea and Ukraine.
🏡 On 18 May 1944, at dawn, the Soviet totalitarian regime carried out the forced deportation of the Crimean Tatars from their historical homeland. In just a few days, over 200,000 people were forcibly taken to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Urals, Siberia, and other remote regions of the Soviet Union.
For thousands of families, this journey became their last. Exhaustion, hunger, thirst, disease, and the lack of medical assistance claimed the lives of many people during the transport and in the first years of exile. The regime also attempted to destroy the very memory of their presence in Crimea.
📌 Despite this, the Crimean Tatar people preserved their language, culture, traditions, and sense of dignity. In the places of exile, people continued to raise their children with love for their native land, passing on the memory of Crimea and the belief in returning home.
Honouring the memory of the victims of the Crimean Tatar genocide, we remember those who did not survive the deportation and those who preserved the people during the most difficult times.
Qırımtatar halqınıñ soğurımı — unutulmaycaq.
The Crimean Tatar genocide will not be forgotten.
This video was prepared by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Crimea Platform Office with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, funded by the governments of Canada, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. The content of the video is the sole responsibility of the Mission and does not necessarily reflect the position of the Fund and/or its financial partners.
📌 Mission Holds Commemorative Event for the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide
🙌 The event included a thematic exhibition dedicated to the deportation for representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine. The exhibits featured a Quran written during exile, archival documents evidencing the Soviet Union’s targeted policy regarding the deportation of Crimean Tatars, and traditional clothing. The exhibition was moderated by Hulnara Abdullaieva @gyluafler
➡️ Following this, a discussion entitled “Memory Shaping the Future: Preserving Crimean Tatar Culture Under Occupation” was held. During the discussion, speakers elaborated on the history of the deportation and explained how Russia today replicates the practices of the Soviet Union — specifically by persecuting Crimean Tatars through fabricated cases and exerting constant pressure on them.
🤝 The event was organised by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Crimea Platform Office with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, funded by the governments of Canada, Estonia, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom.
🫂 We extend our special gratitude to the Crimean House space @crimeanhouse , Crimean Tatar Lyceum Birlik School @birlikschool.ua , State Archival Service of Ukraine, as well as the Central State Archive of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine, the Central State Archive of Public Organizations of Ukraine, and the Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archive. We also thank the families from Crimea who provided their personal belongings for the exhibition.
📍 On 14 May, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 15227 regarding an Appeal to the governments and parliaments of foreign states, international organisations, and parliamentary assemblies on recognising the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people as an act of genocide.
The resolution was adopted ahead of the 82nd anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people.
➡️ The document calls on the international community to provide a proper legal and political assessment of the crime committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime against the Crimean Tatar people, to condemn the current policy of the Russian Federation, which continues discrimination, persecution, and repression against Crimean Tatars under the conditions of the temporary occupation of Crimea, and to strengthen sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Russia.
📌 Ukraine became the first state in the world to recognise the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea in 1944 as an act of genocide at the legislative level.
Subsequently, corresponding decisions were adopted by other states, including the parliaments of the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Poland, and the Republic of Estonia, as well as the House of Commons of Canada, the House of Representatives of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Senate of the Czech Republic.
Online Seminar | Crimea: History, Memory, and Ongoing Occupation
How does the history of Crimea help us better understand Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine?
Join us for an online seminar exploring Crimea’s historical legacy, the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, and the realities of occupied Crimea today.
Together with Ukrainian scholars and experts, we will discuss:
▪️ Crimea’s cultural and historical heritage
▪️ The 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people as a crime of the Soviet totalitarian regime
▪️ Life under Russian occupation and ongoing human rights violations
This conversation will draw connections between past and present, highlighting why recognising the 1944 deportation as genocide remains crucial for historical justice and preventing future crimes.
📅 20 May 2026
🕙 10:00–11:30 (Stockholm time)
💻 Online | Zoom
🔗 Registration link in bio
The seminar is initiated by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea @ppu.gov.ua / Crimea Platform Office @crimeaplatform in cooperation with the University of Gothenburg @universityofgothenburg , with the support of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies.
🤝 A meeting was held at the Mission between Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko and Zdenka Caisova, Deputy Director of the Department of Human Rights and Transition Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.
🗣 During the meeting, the parties discussed the current situation in temporarily occupied Crimea and the systemic human rights violations committed by representatives of the Russian occupation authorities. Specifically, Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko highlighted the case of political prisoner Tofik Abdulhaziiev, who has been diagnosed with 8 severe illnesses. Despite his critical condition and the necessity for medical treatment, the Russian occupation authorities force him to publicly declare during court hearings that he is feeling well.
➡ Olha Kuryshko also emphasised the increase in the number of individuals subjected to judicial persecution by the occupiers, as well as the tightening of control over the information space.
🌍 Particular attention was paid to preparations for the international Crimea Global 2026 conference and to opportunities for further cooperation in human rights protection and support for residents of temporarily occupied Crimea.
📌 The Permanent Representative stressed the importance of sanctions policy, particularly regarding violations of children’s rights, and the necessity of advocating for the de-occupation and reintegration of temporarily occupied territories on international platforms.
🫂 We are grateful to our Czech partners for their steadfast support of Ukraine!
