On 15 April, the Permanent Representative, Olha Kuryshko, together with the Mission’s team, met with U.S. congressional staffers and representatives of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

During the meeting, Permanent Representative Olha Kuryshko presented the work of the Mission, highlighting its key areas of activity, including monitoring the situation in occupied Crimea and the development of strategic documents related to the peninsula.

Special attention was devoted to the systematic repressions by the occupation administration against Crimean Tatars, including the suppression of national, religious, and linguistic identity, as well as the persecution of Ukrainian citizens in occupied Crimea for their pro-Ukrainian stance. The Permanent Representative emphasized the importance of sustained international pressure to secure the release of all Crimean political prisoners, the majority of whom are representatives of the Indigenous Crimean Tatar people.

The Mission’s team also stressed the need to keep the issue of Crimea’s liberation on the international agenda. Additional topics raised included the deteriorating environmental situation in occupied Crimea, the militarization of children and youth, and the use of the peninsula as a hub for the deportation of Ukrainian children.

The Mission’s team also highlighted the urgent need to counter Russian disinformation and promote awareness of Crimea’s true history. One key step in this direction is the development of international academic programs within the framework of the Global Coalition for Ukrainian Studies—an initiative launched with the support of Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, which includes a dedicated focus on Crimean Tatar studies.

During the discussion, congressional staff members from the United States expressed interest in the current situation in occupied Crimea, particularly regarding the systematic violations of religious freedom by the occupation administration. They also focused on the resistance of Ukrainian citizens living under occupation in Crimea.