“Until 2014, Crimea was a real home of happiness for many of our citizens, and Crimea will be like that again.” This promise was made by President Volodymyr Zelensky during a speech in kyiv this Saturday. On the occasion of the laying of the first stone of the future memorial to the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people, the Ukrainian president affirmed that the peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, must be liberated to once again become the “true home of happiness” that it was before its annexation.
“Only with the weakening of the then Moscow government and the restoration of Ukraine’s independence did the Crimean Tatars have the opportunity to assert the truth at the state level on the crime of genocide – the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people – and to return to normal life in Crimea.
“The peninsula, which is destined to become one of the best places to live in Europe, will be exactly that, certainly without Russia,” said the Ukrainian head of state, confidently announcing that “the strength of our resilience , our weapons, our diplomacy and the power of justice for Ukraine will ensure the liberation of Crimea from occupation.