The Permanent Representative took part in the panel discussion “Banned: The Culture and People Russia Fears,” held as part of the Crimean Stage: Lavanda Tarlası programme at the international ethno festival Kraina Mriy.

The discussion featured Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute Alim Aliev, artist Maria Kulikovska, civic activist and sister of political prisoner Bohdan Ziza, Oleksandra Barkova, and Japanese journalist Takashi Hirano. The panel was moderated by QIRIM.MEDIA journalist Nadzhiie Ametova.

Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko, speaking at the event, emphasized that resistance in temporarily occupied Crimea takes many forms and does not always manifest in public or large-scale actions. Under constant pressure, surveillance, and repression, even small acts — such as wearing blue and yellow colors or sharing posts on social media — become deliberate forms of resistance. She stressed that citizens should not be left to stand alone in their convictions:

“Resistance is a form of connection. It does not emerge in a vacuum and cannot grow stronger without support. It is our duty as a state to make it visible and to stand behind those who resist daily in the occupied territory.”

The Permanent Representative emphasized the need for a sustainable state policy toward citizens residing in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. She outlined the real challenges faced by Ukrainian citizens — administrative persecution, difficulties with leaving the peninsula, risks of filtration, and legal constraints linked to the lack of Ukrainian documentation. The Mission is working to ensure these issues are addressed at the level of national policy.

During the panel discussion, participants spoke about resistance as a multi-layered response to the occupation of Crimea — encompassing military, cultural, artistic, and informational dimensions. They stressed that the war against Russia is not only a fight for territory but above all a struggle for identity and the future. The participants highlighted that culture is a component of national security and that investing in it is of strategic importance.

Special attention was given to the international informational landscape, where Russian narratives — shaped during the imperial and Soviet periods — continue to dominate. Speakers emphasized the importance of personal stories and the voices of Crimeans as the most powerful means of countering propaganda. The case of political prisoner Bohdan Ziza served as a striking example of how even peaceful artistic expression is harshly punished under occupation, with intimidation and repression becoming part of daily life in Crimea. Participants called for continued support for Ukrainian citizens under occupation and for making their resistance visible to the world.

The Crimean Stage: Lavanda Tarlası was organized by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Crimea Platform, the media initiative Crimea Daily, the state enterprise Crimean House, TRO Media, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, the ZMINA Human Rights Center, the NGO CrimeaSOS, the Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar literary project Crimean Fig / Qırım İnciri, the Crimean Studies Center at NaUKMA, QIRIM.MEDIA, TAKAVA LLC, and the Crimean Tatar restaurant Musafir.