79 years ago, a terrible crime was committed against one of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, which cannot be called anything other than genocide. 79 years ago, Russia forcibly broke into the homes of the Kyrymla in the middle of the night, without giving them enough time to gather, herded them like animals into freight cars, and took them as far away from their native land as possible.

32 thousand Soviet security forces were involved, 67 echelons were used to deport more than 180 thousand Crimean Tatars in the first 3 days – and this is only according to official data. In exile, representatives of the indigenous people were forced to live as prisoners, without the right to leave the special settlement areas and under constant police surveillance. The deportation of 1944 killed tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars, the Crimean economy collapsed, the culture and history of the peninsula were distorted, and the Crimean Tatar language was on the verge of extinction.

The return of the Crimean Tatars to their homeland without obstacles from the authorities became possible only after Ukraine gained independence. The struggle for the right to live on their native land lasted almost half a century. The Crimean Tatars are still returning, or rather, they were returning before the occupation of Crimea.

With its armed invasion of the Ukrainian peninsula, Russia has once again closed the indigenous people’s way home, and those who managed to return before the occupation are once again prevented from living freely, using its criminal law to brand them extremists or terrorists, persecuted, imprisoned and expelled from their native peninsula. The occupiers in Crimea suspended the activities of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and, after a year of occupation, banned the Crimean Tatars from holding a traditional mourning rally on May 18 to honor the victims of this crime against humanity.

In 2015, the Ukrainian state recognized the 1944 deportation as genocide of the Crimean Tatar people. Our example has already been followed by Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Canada. And Ukraine is doing everything to ensure that as many countries as possible join this list.

May 18 is the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People, an indigenous people of Ukraine. This is the day of consolidation of Crimean Tatars in the struggle for their rights and return to Crimea. This is a day when we must unite and support our fellow citizens, because genocide has been in the history of the Ukrainian people. We overcame it then, and we will overcome it now.

Together, we are doing everything possible to ensure that Ukrainian Crimea is liberated from the aggressor as soon as possible.

May the memory of thousands of innocent Crimeans who died as a result of the 1944 deportation be blessed!

Hatırlaymız, küreşemiz, yeñecekmiz!