Ukraine Honors Crimean Tatar Victims

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska honored the victims of the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people during a memorial ceremony in Kyiv on May 18, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People.

The couple placed memorial lamps at the Memorial to the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People in Peace Park. A moment of silence was held for those who died as a result of the deportation.

Zelenskyy described the forced removal as an act of genocide carried out by the Soviet regime and said the crime must not be forgotten. He also called for the release of Crimean Tatars and other Ukrainian citizens who are being held captive by Russia, emphasizing that Kyiv continues to work to identify and assist each detainee.

Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatar people, said the deportation remains central to the community’s historical memory and identity. The ceremony concluded with a prayer led by Ayder Rustemov, mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Crimea. The Soviet deportation began on May 18, 1944, and removed the entire indigenous Crimean Tatar population from the peninsula within two days. Ukraine’s parliament recognized the deportation as genocide in 2015 and established May 18 as a day of remembrance.