In cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, materials were prepared for the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Nazism and Stalinism.

Exactly on this day in 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, paving the way for World War II.

23 August is now marked annually as European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, also known as “Black Ribbon Day.” On this day, European countries and other states honour the memory of the victims of brutal totalitarian regimes – Stalinism and National Socialism – which left a bloody mark in History. It is a stark reminder that both Nazism and Soviet totalitarian rule relied on the same oppressive methods, degrading human dignity and disregarding the value of life.

In the context of Crimea, this day holds special significance. The peninsula witnessed a double tragedy: first the Nazi occupation, and later Stalinist repressions.

During the German occupation of Crimea from 1941 to 1944, tens of thousands of people perished at the hands of the Nazis. The Jews of Crimea and the Karaites were systematically exterminated in mass shootings. Other residents of the peninsula also suffered, many were persecuted, forced into labour, or executed. The memory of these crimes reminds us of the horrific consequences of Nazism for the civilian population.

However, the liberation of the peninsula from the Nazis did not bring freedom to Crimea. In 1944, the Stalinist regime committed a new crime: the violent deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, along with the expulsion of Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks, and other ethnic groups. Thousands perished on the way or in exile from hunger, disease, and terrible living conditions. For Crimea, it was a devastating tragedy, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

We must never forget these horrific events and the dangers of totalitarian ideologies that devalue human life.

We must continue protecting freedom, dignity, and human rights. The memory of these tragedies of the past must serve as a guarantee that such crimes will never be repeated.