Another important day in the history of Ukraine

The deportation of Crimean Tatars began on May 18, 1944 at 3 a.m. and continued until early June.

It was then that soldiers and NKVD operatives burst into the peaceful homes of Crimean Tatars.

Since most men were at the front at that time, women, children, and the elderly were forcibly forced to leave their homes, leaving only a few minutes for assembly.

Cruelly, without any explanation, Crimean Tatars were herded into freight cars to be taken thousands of kilometers from their homeland. This horror became a reality for the indigenous people of Ukraine 81 years ago. These events have become a history that we have no right to forget.

What is also important to understand is that the yoke of “special settlers” in the territory of the then Uzbek SSR and the Urals involved constant supervision by repressive Soviet structures and forced physical labor.

They were also starved. Crimean Tatars suffered from numerous diseases and lacked clothing and footwear.

According to official NKVD data, almost 30,000 Crimean Tatars died in the first year and a half of deportation alone, but in reality the number is much higher.

At that time, the USSR fought not only against people, but also against libraries, cultural values — everything that is evidence and a carrier of information and culture.

The task was to destroy a people who were destined to survive, return, and face occupation again.

The Ukrainian side expresses its condolences and provides unwavering support, calling on the world to join in recognizing the crime of deportation as genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.