Memorial to the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide Unveiled in Kyiv

In Kyiv, on September 11, 2024, the Memorial to the Victims of the the Crimean Tatar People Genocide unveiled.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska, PLithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Igor Grosu, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk , Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov, along with representatives of the government, parliament, embassies and the public, participated in the unveiling of the Memorial to the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide.

It is symbolic that the memorial is being placed at this particular site, as a monument to the Chekists had stood there once.

“Today we have gathered here to perpetuate the memory of one of the most terrible tragedies in the history of Ukraine – the tragedy of the Crimean Tatar people. Genocide and deportation. Evil, absolute evil, which was committed by the Soviet authorities, including the Chekists themselves, in 1944, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised. – We are unveiling the memorial at a time when history is repeating itself again, when Crimea has once again become a battlefield for freedom, dignity, and the right to live – to live on one’s own land. This memorial is not just a tribute to the past. It is a symbol of the fact that we do not forget and do not forgive.”

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine