On the official Day of the Deported Peoples, the occupying authorities made no mention of the Crimean Tatars

Official statements by officials under Russian control regarding the “Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Deportation of the Peoples of Crimea” make no mention whatsoever of the Crimean Tatar people.

This was reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Crimea.Realities project. Official events on the peninsula were referred to in reports by government officials simply as the “Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Deportation of the Peoples of Crimea,” without any specific details.

Russian-appointed Crimean Head Sergey Aksyonov laid flowers at a memorial complex in the village of Siren in the Bakhchysarai district, while Parliament Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov attended a ceremony on the grounds of the Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University. Aksyonov’s social media posts referred only to solidarity with unnamed peoples who were deprived of their homeland and basic rights. In his official statement, Konstantinov limited himself to a general reference to the deportation of hundreds of thousands of people between 1941 and 1944, without specifying exactly who was being referred to.

On the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia continues the crimes against Ukraine that began with the occupation of Crimea, and emphasized the importance of unity in the struggle.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars and Circassians, highlighting the ongoing oppression of the indigenous people.