Within the framework of cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Mission continues to initiate events dedicated to Crimea in foreign academic centers. Today the past and future of Crimea were discussed at the University of Copenhagen.  The lecture was organized by the Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Denmark and Vira Skvirska.

The welcoming remarks were made by Annika Hvithamar, Head of the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen, and Maria Tomak, Head of the Crimea Platform’s Support Service, who joined the event online. Ms. Tomak emphasized the presence of Crimea in Ukrainian political and cultural space and, in particular, the importance of de-occupation and reintegration of the peninsula in the context of the implementation of the Peace Formula. She also spoke about the non-violent resistance of Ukrainian citizens in temporarily occupied Crimea.

Historian and researcher Martin-Oleksandr Kyslyi and the Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Suleiman Mamutov were the main speakers at the event, who focused on the destructive Russian colonization policy on the occupied peninsula in historical retrospect and today. 

In particular, Martin-Oleksandr Kyslyi presented the materials of his research and showed the continuity of Russian motives and reasons for the colonization of Crimea in a historical context. He also focused on the detrimental effects of these policies on the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, namely the Crimean Tatars, who were oppressed by the Russian Empire, the USSR, and modern Russia. 

Suleiman Mamutov spoke about the impact of Russian colonization policy on the formation of the Crimean Tatar people. He also substantiated the genocidal nature of this policy, which has been going on since the first annexation of Crimea in 1783. In addition, the speaker described the oppression of the Crimean Tatar people and the hybrid deportation that Russians are carrying out against them in temporarily occupied Crimea.  

At the end of the meeting, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions to the speakers. In particular, the audience was interested in the role of the Crimean Tatar people in shaping relations with Uzbekistan, Ukraine’s plans for language legislation in Crimea after de-occupation, the return of the Crimean Tatar language to the Latin script, and the connections between occupied Crimea and mainland Ukraine.