The ceremony was attended by Ukrainian soldiers, officials, politicians and artists. In particular, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the Leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov, the First Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Nariman Dzhelyalov, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Centre, member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Eskender Bariiev and others.
‘Today we are opening a Ukrainian national memorial dedicated to honouring the tragedy of the Crimean Tatar people. And someday the same memorial will certainly appear in our free Crimea. It is a symbol of indestructible will. It reminds us of the three tragic stages in the history of the Crimean Tatar people: the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire in 1783, deportation in 1944 and occupation in 2014. But at the same time, it gives us hope – hope for the future,’ – said Volodymyr Zelensky.