81st anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars. Zelenskyy: Crimea must be free, empires always fall

On May 18 Ukraine commemorate the victims of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people by the Soviet authorities in 1944. In his address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that, like all of Ukraine, Crimea, temporarily occupied by the Russians, must be free, and empires "always fall."

"Today is a day that reminds us why any cruel empire deserves to fall. 81 years ago, the Soviet authorities began the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people. An entire people were expelled from their native land and thrown onto a road that became a death sentence for thousands and thousands of people, for many families. At least a third of the Crimean Tatar people were lost to disease, hunger, exhaustion, and abuse," Zelenskyy wrote.

He emphasized that this was made possible by the criminal totalitarian system and the impunity of the leaders in Moscow.

The President emphasized that this tragedy should never happen again, but in 2014 there was another Russian occupation of Crimea: "And now again, thousands of families, unfortunately, are separated. Once again, we must fight for freedom and our own home."

"We honor the memory of all the victims of deportation, of this genocide of the Crimean Tatar people. We remember how important it is that the people were able to return home. We are working to protect our independent state, all our people, all our land," Zelenskyy emphasized.

The head of state added that Crimea, like all of Ukraine, should be free, and empires "always fall."

Meanwhile, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), Kyrylo Budanov, noted that during the current occupation of Crimea, the Russian Federation continues its repressive practices, assimilation of the indigenous people, and militarization of children: "The Kremlin needs the population only as infantry for a criminal war, and the peninsula itself as a military base filled with armed iron."

However, he added, Ukraine continues its struggle for freedom, which includes the demilitarization of Crimea, and a resistance movement against the occupiers continues to operate on the peninsula.

"In Akmesjit (The historical name of Simferopol. – Ed.), Yevpatoria, Bakhchisarai, and many cities of Crimea, underground activists recalled today the crimes of Stalinism and Putinism," Budanov noted.

The resistance movement in the temporarily occupied territories "Yellow Ribbon" publishes a photo of how residents of the peninsula honor the memory of the victims of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people:

• The Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Chubarov, stated that neither Crimea nor other territories of Ukraine should become a "bargaining chip" in negotiations.

• A LIGA.net source in the SSU reported that on May 16, special service drones struck ammunition depots of the 126th Separate Guards Coastal Defense Brigade of Russia near Perevalne in Crimea.