Today, Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to Ukraine, Tarja Fernández. Daria Piskun, Chief Consultant of the Crimea Platform Department, also took part in the meeting.
In her remarks, Olha Kuryshko presented the strategic initiatives of the Mission aimed at shaping state policy for the reintegration of temporarily occupied Crimea. She also outlined the key areas of activity of the Crimea Platform, which include annual governmental and parliamentary summits focused on uniting the efforts of the international community for the de-occupation of the peninsula. Special attention was given to the international conference Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South, held in 2023 and 2024 in cooperation with Ukrainian civil society organizations. The event brought together experts and media from Asia, Africa, and Latin America to strengthen international ties, support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Formula, counter impunity for international crimes, draw attention to human rights violations, and reflect on the legacy of colonialism.
The Permanent Representative informed about the situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea, highlighting human rights violations, forced passportization, the illegal appropriation of property belonging to the state as well as to Ukrainian individuals and legal entities, and unlawful administrative and criminal prosecutions on political grounds. Olha Kuryshko emphasized that, to date, 1,472 cases have been documented under the article on so-called “discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation.” Grounds for such unlawful administrative charges include expressing pro-Ukrainian views on social media or even displaying a combination of yellow and blue colors.
Olha Kuryshko emphasized the importance of countering Russian narratives, particularly efforts by the Russian Federation to legitimize the occupation by inviting children from other countries to the Artek children’s camp in Crimea through competitions organized for children of the Russian diaspora at so-called “Russia Houses.”
The team of the Mission also provided information about the activities of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies — an initiative launched by First Lady Olena Zelenska, aimed at strengthening ties between Ukrainian and international academic communities and countering Russian disinformation narratives. The participants of the meeting noted that the University of Helsinki and Tampere University have already signed a memorandum to join the Coalition, demonstrating growing support for Ukraine in the educational and scientific spheres.
The Permanent Representative expressed sincere gratitude to the Ambassador for her country’s active support of Ukraine, particularly highlighting Finland’s significant contribution to international advocacy through its participation in the Crimea Platform summits. She also acknowledged Finland’s principled stance on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which is especially important in the context of the ongoing aggression.