President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people 80 years ago was one of the worst crimes of the Soviet regime against human life.
Ukraine and the world commemorate the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasised that due to the criminal actions of the USSR, the Crimean Tatar people lost at least a third of their population.
According to the president, people were able to return to their native land only after tens of years, but the criminal was never punished and the Soviet regime was not condemned.
The disregard for human life and state violence that prevailed in the last century have been revived in our time. Ten years ago, the old evil — the evil of genocide — renewed its form, changed its ideological shell, but did not change its essence and goals, and it also turned against Ukraine, starting with Crimea.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
Zelenskyy also stated that Ukraine is obliged to respond to Russia's attacks with the resilience of our people, the victory of our state over the evil of occupation, and fair punishment for all Russian war crimes since 2014.
18 May, 80th anniversary of Stalin's deportation of Crimean Tatars
18 May marks the 80th anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars from Crimea by the Soviet regime. On this day, Ukraine commemorates the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People.
On this day in 1944, the Soviet regime began the total deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from the Crimean peninsula to the regions of Central Asia and the Urals.
In total, about 200,000 people were deported. They were banned from returning to Crimea for more than 40 years. According to various sources, about half of the deported citizens died of violence, hunger, cold and disease on the way and in places of deportation.
According to the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, May 18 was declared the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People.
Traditionally, on 18 May, Ukraine holds mourning events in memory of the victims of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people from Crimea, but this year, as in the past, Russia's military invasion and occupation of Crimea affect all public events.
