Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol

Eleven years ago, the russian federation occupied the Crimean Peninsula and launched a war against Ukraine. On February 26, we remember and honor the courage and resilience of the thousands of Crimean residents who took to the streets of Simferopol in 2014 to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

We also pay tribute to those who continue to resist the occupiers on the peninsula today, risking daily arrest for their pro-Ukrainian stance and unwavering belief in the de-occupation of Crimea. The russian federation has brought only politically motivated persecution, enforced disappearances, murders, deprivation of freedom of speech and religion, the militarization of childhood, the destruction of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar cultural heritage, and environmental threats to Crimea.

History has shown that temporary occupations always end in the defeat of the aggressor, followed by the restoration of justice, freedom, and dignity for oppressed nations. The same fate awaits Crimea, which was, is, and will always be a part of Ukraine!