On February 26, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) traditionally joins Ukraine in commemorating the Day of Crimean Resistance to Russian Occupation. We honor all men and women of Crimea who stood up to protest the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and the brave Crimean resistance fighters who continue their underground struggle against the Russian occupiers today.
Ten years ago, when the world witnessed the dramatic events of the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv and the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom and dignity against the criminal and oppressive Kremlin-controlled regime of President Yanukovych, the Russian aggressor had started a covert invasion and occupation of the Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
On February 26, 2014, up to 15,000 Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians gathered for a rally outside the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to stop the implementation of Putin’s evil plan. The next day, heavily armed Russian terrorists, also known as the ‘little green men,’ seized Crimea’s parliament and government buildings, unleashing the annexation scenario.
During the long years of occupation, Russia has transformed Crimea into one of its largest military bases, which it used in 2022 to achieve a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian occupiers conduct systemic gross human rights violations, persecute Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian community members for their nationality, religion, and language, and have been implementing a policy of artificial population replacement in Crimea.
Despite the ten years of Russian occupation of Crimea, Ukrainians are rock-solid in refusing land trade for peace and remain confident that Crimea must return to Ukraine like any other Ukrainian territory under Russia’s occupation. After two years of full-scale war, Ukrainians fundamentally changed the balance of power in the Black Sea and defeated the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. With the help of Ukrainian naval drones and Western high-precision missiles, Ukraine destroyed more than 30% of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. Its base in Sevastopol ceased to be a safe port for the aggressor state’s ships. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are also systematically destroying Russian strategic military facilities on the peninsula. Simultaneously, the pro-Ukrainian resistance in Crimea becomes more visible.
As the battle for Crimea continues, the UWC appeals to all of Ukraine’s allies to consolidate their military support of Ukraine so that it can liberate all its lands from the deadly and brutal Russian occupation and put an end to this war.
Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Crimean Resistance fighters!
Cover: Newsforbreakfast
