On 26th of February, the Day of resistance to the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Verkhovna Rada honoured the unyielding resistance of Crimeans and Ukrainians to the russian occupation of Crimea.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, noted: «Twelve years ago, we witnessed true civic courage. On 26th of February 2014, in Simferopol, thousands of people became a living shield to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine.»
According to him, russia brought its «russian world» to Crimea: fear, illegal courts, persecution of Crimean Tatars and destruction of freedom. But it failed to destroy the most important thing—the Ukrainian spirit of the peninsula.
«Today, our common task with our international partners is to keep the issue of Crimea’s de-occupation at the centre of world attention. The liberation of the peninsula is not just a matter of restoring justice, it is a matter of restoring world order,» emphasised Ruslan Stefanchuk.
Tamila Tasheva, the Chair of the subcommittee on the restoration of state authority and local self-governance in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol of the Committee on the organisation of state authority, local self-governance, regional development and urban planning, spoke from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada to remind the world of the crimes committed by russian invaders in Crimea, emphasise the resistance of Crimeans and Ukrainians, and illustrate the resilience and invincibility of the peninsula’s citizens.
«More than twelve years ago, russia started its war against Ukraine, beginning with the occupation of the Crimean peninsula. But every criminal step taken by the russians is met with resistance. On 26th of February 2014, the people of Crimea thwarted the occupiers’ plans for a so-called “silent occupation” and their attempts to legalise it. About 15 000 Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians and other nationalities gathered outside the Crimean Parliament with Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar flags. They boldly declared to the world that Crimea is Ukraine,» said Tamila Tasheva, noting that the invaders have been exacting revenge for this courage for the past twelve years.
According to her, the russians have turned the flourishing peninsula into a prison and a military base, and are destroying it ecologically. «Participants and organisers of the rally were kidnapped, tortured and thrown into prison. Among those illegally detained by the russians was our colleague–Member of the Parliament Akhtem Chyigoz–who spent almost three years in captivity. Unfortunately, there are thousands of such stories,» she said.
Today russia continues to destroy the identity of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, trying to erase Ukrainian identity and pretend that Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians never existed in Crimea. But, according to Tamila Tasheva, the resistance has not disappeared; it has been going on for twelve years: «Our citizens in Crimea are not giving up; they are waiting for Ukraine to return. The resistance continues, Crimea will be free. Glory to Ukraine.»
Akhtem Chyigoz, the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on human rights, de-occupation and reintegration of temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, national minorities and interethnic relations, who is a living witness to the criminal actions of the russian occupation, emphasised in his speech the importance of international support and the active position of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People: «We held Crimean platforms of parliamentary elections (кримські платформи парламентського вибору), where more than 60 states, representatives of European parliaments and European institutions clearly stated that Crimea is an integral part of Ukraine and that the world will help us liberate Crimea.»
He encouraged the world to join forces for the future of the Crimean Tatar people: «Let us bring our efforts together and give hope that the Crimean Tatar people will be liberated together with their homeland and will have a future on their land. Thank you.»