Today, the team of The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea held a meeting with Bishan Samaddar, Director and editor of publishing house Seagull Books, and Dr. Tehnaz Dastoor, UNICEF Global Coordinator for women and children affected by landmines and focal point for child soldiers. Denys Chystikov, Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and Maria Tomak, Head of the Crimea Platform Department at the Mission of the President of Ukraine in Crimea, joined the meeting. The visit of the delegation was organized by PEN Ukraine in the framework of the program In Solidarity With Ukraine.

Maria Tomak outlined the main activities of the Mission and spoke about Crimea in the context of Russia’s systematic colonial policy, which has been pursued for centuries, both about Crimea and Ukraine:

Russia has relocated at least 500,000 and up to 800,000 of its citizens to occupied Crimea. With a pre-war population of about 2.3 million, this is a significant percentage. Under international law and in fact, this is a crime of colonialism. And we at the Mission are working on the issue of how to further overcome the consequences of colonization without violating international law,

Maria Tomak emphasized.

The participants discussed issues related to Ukraine’s indigenous peoples and the importance of media coverage of events in Crimea and other Russian-occupied territories.

In addition, the meeting touched upon potential ways of cooperation between Ukraine and India, mainly at the level of civil society and expert communities. At the same time, Dr. Tehnaz Dastoor emphasized the significant changes in the perception of Russia and Ukraine in the Indian public space:

People used to consider Ukraine to be part of Russia’s sphere of influence. Now we know about its struggle against Russia, about the crimes of the Russian authorities,

Dr. Dastoor stated.

After the meeting, the delegation from India paid a visit to the Lomykamin’. Women’s Resistance in Crimea exhibition. The exhibition is housed in the Mission’s office and centers around the theme of women’s resistance against the occupiers on the peninsula. It showcases the stories of various women who have lived through the war, and visitors are encouraged to listen closely to their individual experiences.