18 May 2026

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska Honour the Memory of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide

On 18 May, a memorial event marking the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide took place at the Square of Peace in Kyiv. The event was attended by the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and First Lady Olena Zelenska. They placed lit kerosene lamps by the memorial as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatars deported from their native land by the Soviet authorities in 1944.

The commemorative event was also attended by representatives of state authorities and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.

In his speech, the President of Ukraine emphasised that Ukraine preserves the memory of the victims of the Crimean Tatar deportation and continues the struggle to restore justice. He stressed that today, Russia is again attempting to deprive Crimean Tatars of their home and the right to live on their native land. However, Ukraine is strengthening international support, reinforcing its state, and continuing the fight to return its temporarily occupied territories.

“Our people know clearly: we cannot surrender our independence. We will return all our territories and we remember everyone,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated.

The leader of the Crimean Tatar people and Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Mustafa Dzhemiliev, addressed the attendees. He recalled the tragedy of the 1944 deportation, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. Mustafa Dzhemiliev stressed that after the exile, Crimean Tatars endured decades of lawlessness and tyranny, and the truth about this crime remained largely unknown to the world for a long time. He also emphasised that Ukraine will not agree to any “peace plans” that involve concessions to the aggressor state.

“Deportation and genocide are tragedies that will forever remain in the historical and genetic memory of the Crimean Tatar people.”

At the conclusion of the event, the Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Sheikh Aider Rustemov, recited a prayer in memory of the victims of the deportation and genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.

Commemorating the victims of the Crimean Tatar genocide serves as a reminder of one of the most heinous crimes of the Soviet totalitarian regime and the resilience of a people who, despite deportation, decades of exile, and modern repressions, have preserved their identity, culture, and connection to their native Crimea.