On September 11, 2024, the opening ceremony of the Memorial to the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide took place in Kyiv. The event was held as part of the Fourth Summit of the Crimea Platform. The ceremony was attended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, First Lady Olena Zelenska, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Mykola Tochytskyi, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva, leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemiliev, as well as the leaders of the countries participating in the Fourth Summit of the Crimea Platform who visited the capital of Ukraine on this occasion, including President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia Evika Siliņa, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Igor Grosu, and Speaker of the Senate of the Czech Republic Miloš Vystrčil.. Representatives of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, cultural and public figures, and military personnel attended the event.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with First Lady Olena Zelenska and representatives of the Crimea Platform countries, lit symbolic gas lamps that embody the memory of the victims of the genocide and those who continue to fight for the right to live on their land.

During the opening ceremony, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a speech. The head of state emphasized that the Memorial, which is opened within the framework of the Fourth Summit of the Crimea Platform, is a symbol of the unity of the world and the commitment to restore justice:

“Thousands of Crimean Tatars were forcibly evicted from their homes; thousands died somewhere on this terrible long journey, somewhere in foreign lands. And they were uprooted from their native land. But this root grew in the hearts of their descendants, in each of us. And we stand here today to emphasize this to the world: Crimea is Ukraine. Crimea is our home. And we must move forward until the strangers leave our home.”

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Russia is once again trying to repeat the crimes of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people:

“Today, our brothers and sisters—Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians, activists, all brave people—are in Russian prisons for telling the truth, for not submitting to this occupier. Leniie Umerova, Server Mustafaiev, brothers Aziz and Asan Akhtemov, and hundreds of other descendants of those previously deported are once again being persecuted and harassed. But the occupiers will not be able to break us just as they did not break those who were deported in 1944,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.

The head of state also stated that Crimea is of particular importance for Ukraine, its citizens, and the whole world:

“Crimea is not just a territory. It is a part of our soul. This is the land where our people live in peace and harmony with their culture, language, and traditions. We are not just fighting for the return of Crimea; we are struggling for the restoration of justice, for the opportunity for every Crimean to return home, to their home, free from Russia and fear.”

The event was also attended by the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemiliev, who noted that after the occupation of Crimea by Russia, the tragic pages of the history of the Crimean Tatar people are repeating.

“Repression, kidnappings, hundreds of arrests, torture in prisons, forcing people to fight against their own country, oppression of the Indigenous people of Ukraine, and the resettlement of Crimea by Russians are repeating. Russia’s leaders change, but the essence remains constant. Therefore, this Memorial is not only a remembrance of the horrors of the arrival of the “Russian world” but also a reminder of the kind of neighbor we are forced to coexist with,” the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemiliev noted.

The ceremony of unveiling the monument to honor the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people was an initiative of the President of Ukraine, which he announced on May 18 last year. On the same day in 2024, on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide, a solemn ceremony of laying the foundation stone for the future Memorial to the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide took place in Kyiv.