On Tuesday, February 25, the Department of Documents in Foreign Languages of the Vinnytsia Regional Universal Scientific Library named after Valentyn Otamanovsky hosted a historical hour “Crimea in the Heart of Ukraine: History and the Present” dedicated to the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea. The event was organized jointly with the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
The event was attended by students of the State Institution of Health Care “Vinnytsia Vocational Education Center №1 of Vinnytsia”. The participants had an opportunity to learn more about the indigenous peoples of Ukraine – Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks and Karaites. Special attention was paid to the deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944, which became one of the most tragic crimes of the twentieth century, as well as the Russian occupation of the peninsula in 2014.
During the meeting, they discussed the struggle of the Crimean Tatar people for their rights, their contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture and political life, as well as the challenges brought by the temporary occupation of Crimea.
The invited guest of the event was Yulia Piskunova, Deputy Chairperson of the NGO “Vetan”, an activist of the international movement #LIBERATECRIMEA. She spoke about the activities of the #LIBERATECRIMEA movement and the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, as well as about the current situation on the temporarily occupied peninsula.
In addition, Yulia presented the video “We fought then, we will win now”, created by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, as well as visual materials of the CTRC, prepared for the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea. These materials recall the events of 2014, the repressions against the pro-Ukrainian population of Crimea and the full-scale war that is now in its third year.
The event was an opportunity for participants not only to learn more about the history and culture of Crimea, but also to realize its importance for the whole of Ukraine.