On February 26, the forum “CRIMEA: The Home We Are Fighting For,” dedicated to the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea, opened in Kyiv.

Opening remarks were delivered by Olha Kuryshko, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In her speech, she emphasized that for our state, the war began precisely with the occupation of Crimea in 2014. Over the 12 years of temporary occupation, repression in Crimea has only intensified. Currently, more than 280 people are being persecuted by Russia for resisting the occupation.

Olha Kuryshko noted that the practice of illegally transferring Ukrainian children began in Crimea, and that the occupiers have turned the peninsula into a military base for attacks on mainland Ukraine.

Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, also joined the Forum’s opening online. He stressed that the Ukrainian peninsula has been under occupation the longest, and therefore Ukraine must not allow this to be forgotten. According to him, at the state level, attention will continue to be drawn to temporarily occupied Crimea and the fight for its de-occupation will continue.

“The war began with Crimea, and everything that has happened there over the last 12 years has spread to all of Ukraine,” Oleksandr Korniienko stressed.

In turn, Yevhen Perebyinis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, emphasized that 12 years ago, the world had not yet realized the scale of what had happened and viewed it as a local crisis. Therefore, it is crucial to continue working at the international level, as many Ukrainian citizens who are resisting and awaiting de-occupation remain in Crimea.

“It was the occupation of Crimea that marked the beginning of Russia’s assault on Ukraine and the international order. At the same time, it also marked the beginning of the resistance,” said Yevhen Perebyinis.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine highlighted that the Crimea Platform remains an important element in consolidating international efforts and mentioned last year’s summit, which took place for the first time within the UN General Assembly.

The opening of the forum concluded with an online address from Petra Bayr, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and mentor to political prisoner Iryna Danylovych. In her words, the world must remember that Crimea has been under occupation for 12 years and carries a deep collective trauma.

“As the mentor to political prisoner Iryna Danylovych, I have heard firsthand testimonies of life under occupation and the brutal cost of dissent: torture, sexual violence and other grave human rights violations. Yet Iryna, like so many others, stands as a testimony to the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people. Let us be equally vocal that ‘Crimea is Ukraine.’ Our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, to the rights of Crimeans and to the release of all political prisoners remains steadfast,” Petra Bayr emphasized.

The event was hosted by Iryna Slavinska, executive producer of Radio “Kultura”. The organizers of the event are: the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Office of the Crimea Platform, the Crimean Human Rights Group, the Human Rights Center ZMINA, and CrimeaSOS.