Day of Resistance to Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol is marked in Ukraine

Nine years ago, Russia launched an armed aggression against Ukraine. It all started in  Crimea, a part of Ukraine, after subversive groups of the Russian Federation began attempts to occupy the peninsula. 

On Feb. 26, 2014, at the call of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, thousands came to the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to resist the Russian occupation and declare the integrity of Ukraine to the world. The next day, at 5 a.m., armed Russian troops entered the government buildings of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Since 2020, Ukraine has observed the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as a date that marks the beginning of Russia’s armed aggressive war against Ukraine, a war that we are still fighting for the right to live peacefully on the sovereign territory of Ukraine within internationally recognised borders.  

The main slogan of the day is “Resistance continues” – to this day, in 2023, nine years on.  

Throughout Russia’s occupation of the peninsula, repressions against Crimean Tatars have been rampant. Activists have been subject to night raids of their homes, arrests on trumped up charges, physical attacks, and enforced disappearances. Crimean Tatar media critical of the Russian authorities have been banned, and the Mejlis disbanded. Despite the risk of facing grave consequences for vocally opposing Russian occupation, resistance continues.

Activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement present across all temporarily occupied territories have distributed leaflets around the peninsula asserting Crimea’s belonging to Ukraine.