To the ninth anniversary of the occupation of Crimea and to the first anniversary of the beginning of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center presents a new video “We fought then, we will win now”, which briefly tells about the events of 2014, about the repression against the pro-Ukrainian population of the peninsula, as well as about full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Nine years ago, on February 26, 2014, tens of thousands of Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians, and residents of Crimea of other nationalities, at the call of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, came to the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and did not allow the pro-Russian MPs to adopt unconstitutional decisions regarding the separation of Crimea from Ukraine.
On that day, the civil society of Crimea defended the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a peaceful, legal way, not allowing Russia and its agents in Crimea to hold an extraordinary session to simulate the supposed voluntary ascension of Crimea to Russia.
The mass non-violent resistance of the inhabitants of the peninsula, unfortunately, could not prevent the temporary occupation of Crimea, which has been going on for nine years. The Crimean Tatar people – the Indigenous People of Crimea, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and residents of other nationalities who remain loyal to the Ukrainian state – remain hostages of the Russian occupiers.
The video of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center tells about the events of 2014, about the illegal occupation of Crimea, about systematic repression against the Indigenous Crimean Tatar People and the pro-Ukrainian population of the peninsula. Mass searches, arrests, and illegal courts began to be used as a method of intimidating the population disloyal to Russia.
Unfortunately, the Russian Federation did not stop at the occupation of Crimea and the Donbas. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Federation continued the practice of harassing and intimidating Ukrainians in the newly occupied territories, and all of Ukraine is subjected to missile strikes every day.
With this video, we want to once again draw the attention of the entire international community to the crimes of the Russian government, and we want to remind the Ukrainian population once again that we fought back then, in 2014, when the Russians occupied Crimea and we will win now!