Annually, on 9 August, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1994. This day reminds us of the importance of preserving and strengthening the institutions, culture and traditions of indigenous peoples.

For Ukraine, it is also an additional opportunity to express support and state position to promote the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as to remember those who carry the message of courage and honor those who gave their lives in the battle with the enemy at the front and did not break under the pressure of Russia’s repressive actions in the occupation.

There are three indigenous peoples in Ukraine: Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks, who generally live on the territory of the occupied Crimean peninsula. Supporting Ukraine’s indigenous peoples is part of our international commitments under the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

At the national level, the state also implements measures aimed at supporting indigenous peoples. The Law “On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine”, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on 1 July 2021 on the initiative of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, guarantees indigenous peoples the full exercise of their rights and freedoms. Our state has also developed other mechanisms to guarantee the rights and create conditions for the development of indigenous peoples, including the Strategy for the Development of the Crimean Tatar Language, the National Human Rights Strategy, the Strategy for the De-occupation and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Crimea and other key documents.

For a long period of time, the indigenous peoples of Ukraine have been victims of historical injustices, colonial policies and forced deportation. After the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, the indigenous peoples of Ukraine began to be harassed and persecuted for their principled support of the idea of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. That is why today we are witnessing the systematic violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, and their needs are being openly ignored by the occupiers. Repressions, enforced disappearances, discrimination, torture, political persecution and intimidation are not the whole list of criminal acts of Russia in the occupied Crimea, which it systematically implements against our citizens. Only a rapid de-occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula will be able to stop the horrific and illegal actions of the Russian Federation.

On this day, we have the opportunity to remind the whole world that the indigenous peoples of Ukraine are glorious, proud and freedom-loving, and that our country is proud of them. Nowadays, they demonstrate their steadfastness by defending the country in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, actively join the resistance movements on the peninsula and make great efforts to drive the enemy from our land as soon as possible and liberate the Crimean peninsula, which is native to the indigenous peoples.