🔵 On February 21st, an online meeting of the contact persons network of the Crimean Platform participating countries took place, with the participation of the Permanent Representative Olha Kuryhko. Experts informed foreign partners about the current developments in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, including the intensification of persecution by Russia for pro-Ukrainian positions, religious persecution, and violations of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people, the environmental disaster caused by Russian oil spills in the Black Sea, and the destruction and theft of Ukrainian cultural heritage in Crimea.

📌 The meeting was attended by the representative of the Expert Network of the Crimean Platform and the Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group Olga Skripnik, a member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in Ukraine Suleyman Mamutov, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Serhiy Bilyayev, Senior Researcher of the Department of Archaeology of the Early Iron Age of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Candidate of Historical Sciences Evelina Kravchenko, Director of Greenpeace Ukraine Natalia Gozak, Deputy Head of the Service for Ensuring the Activities of the Crimean Platform Anna Sytnikova and Ilya Kvas, Head of the Sixth Territorial Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine / MFA of Ukraine.

➡ Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Olha Kuryhko emphasized that February 26th is a key date in the history of resistance to the occupation of Crimea, which has been going on for 11 years. On this day, we not only remember the events that preceded the illegal establishment of the occupation administration, but also honor those who, at the cost of their own freedom and lives, stood up to defend the sovereignty of Ukraine.

💬 “We are talking about 11 years of resistance to the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Eleven years ago, the largest pro-Ukrainian rally took place near the Verkhovna Rada of the ARC. Later, the occupiers began to persecute and illegally imprison participants of the Ukrainian rally. We remember and honor those who resisted in the past and resist the occupation of the peninsula now,” – emphasized Olha Kuryhko.

➡ During the online meeting, the representative of the Expert Network of the Crimean Platform and the Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Human Rights Group, Olga Skripnik, spoke about the persecution on ethnic, religious, and political grounds in occupied Crimea. She emphasized the increase in the number of civilian hostages, noting that as of now, Russia holds at least 250 people.

💬 “The occupation administration continues to fabricate cases against Ukrainian citizens, accusing them of so-called “terrorism” and “extremism.” Russia has begun to use the peninsula as a prison for civilians kidnapped from other newly occupied regions after the start of a full-scale invasion. These illegally imprisoned citizens of Ukraine are held without contact with their families, without the possibility of obtaining legal assistance,” – said Olga Skripnik.

➡ A member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in Ukraine, Suleyman Mamutov, raised the issue of religious persecution in occupied Crimea, in particular, the complete destruction of the Crimean diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, persecution of Crimean Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

💬 “Before the beginning of the occupation in 2014, there were approximately 2,220 religious organizations in Crimea, and more than 1,000 were officially registered. In January 2024, 10 years after the occupation, we see a rapid reduction in the number of these communities, which occurs through persecution by the occupation administration and the forced imposition of Russian legislation on the peninsula,” – emphasized Suleyman Mamutov.

➡ Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Serhiy Bilyayev and Senior Researcher of the Department of Archaeology of the Early Iron Age of the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Candidate of Historical Sciences Evelina Kravchenko, drew attention to the destruction and theft of cultural heritage from Crimea and the criminal removal of museum artifacts through the peninsula to the territory of the Russian Federation.

💬 “The occupation administration conducts so-called “restoration works” on the territory of Crimea, which in reality serve as another means of destroying historical and cultural heritage. One of the most striking examples is the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchisarai, which in 2014 was included in the Preliminary List of World Cultural Heritage sites by UNESCO. During such “restoration,” the Count’s Corps suffered significant damage, and numerous authentic elements of the complex were replaced with modern materials, which significantly distorted the historical appearance of the only preserved monument of the palace architecture of the Crimean Tatars,” – noted Evelina Kravchenko.

➡ In her speech, the director of Greenpeace Ukraine, Natalia Gozak, addressed the topic of the environmental disaster in the waters of the Kerch Strait, which occurred as a result of the accident of two Russian tankers “Volgoneft-212” and “Volgoneft-239.”

💬 “The entire territory of the Crimean peninsula, especially the Kerch Strait, is chronically polluted – this is nothing more than ecocide. This catastrophe could have been prevented or at least its consequences minimized, but, unfortunately, we do not see efforts from the Russian Federation to clean the waters from oil spills. Moreover, even the collected pollution on the coast was not properly disposed of, which only worsens the environmental situation,” – indicated Natalia Gozak.