26 February 2025
Panel 3: Crimea: How to Keep the World’s Attention
As part of the Forum marking the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea, 11 Years of War. Starting Point: Crimea, the third panel discussion, titled “Crimea: How to Keep the World’s Attention,” was held.
The discussion featured prominent speakers, including Member of the Ukrainian Parliament Tamila Tasheva, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis, Charlotte Surun, Chargee D’Affaires a.i. of the United Kingdom to Ukraine, and Olha Skrypnyk, Chair of the Crimean Human Rights Group.
The panel discussion was moderated by journalist Andrii Kulykov.
During her remarks, Tamila Tasheva spoke about the statement adopted today by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which calls on parliaments of other states and international organizations to continue supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity. She also expressed gratitude to the parliaments that have officially recognized the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars as an act of genocide.
“We must speak about Crimea using various tools—from culinary diplomacy to legal action in courts. When we launch major awareness campaigns, we must always remember: these are our territories and our people,” Tamila Tasheva emphasized.
Yevhen Perebyinis emphasized that Ukrainian diplomacy has always been straightforward and transparent regarding Crimea.
“The task of Ukrainian diplomacy was to keep Crimea in the focus of international attention. And we succeeded—there is not a single civilized country in the world that has recognized Crimea as Russian,” Yevhen Perebyinis stated.
Charlotte Surun emphasized the consistency of the United Kingdom’s stance—for 11 years, the UK has been actively campaigning for the release of political prisoners held in Russian captivity. She also highlighted the signing of the Agreement marking the 100-year partnership between the United Kingdom and Ukraine, under which both nations will cooperate across multiple areas, including security and defense.
Olha Skrypnyk highlighted the findings of a media monitoring study of European and Middle Eastern countries, which revealed that most references to Crimea in foreign media focus on military attacks, while issues related to the persecution and deportation of Crimean Tatars remain largely absent. She emphasized that international events organized by the Crimea Platform have had a positive impact on media coverage of Crimea. Finally, Olha Skrypnyk stressed the need to combat the widespread disinformation, particularly by intensifying diplomatic efforts abroad dedicated to raising awareness about Crimea.