‘Kremlin annexed Crimea and now will destroy national identity’: Ukraine’s Defense Secretary

gazprom.ru

“72 years ago, the totalitarian Stalinist regime began a large-scale operation of eviction of Crimean Tatars from their homeland. It took them only two days to send about 200 thousand Crimeans to Central Asia, after they were charged with alleged collaboration with Crimean Tatars. Today, 72 years after these events, the history repeats itself. Putin’s not even trying to create a new scenario; charges, searches, intimidations, bans – we’ve seen it all before. Due to its imperial ambitions, the Kremlin annexed the peninsula and now it’s doing everything to destroy the national identity, historical memory, cultural traditions and dignity of Crimean Tatars. Rude force will never prevail over truth and justice. The aggressor cannot break the spirit of the Crimean Tatar people. Crimea is Ukraine!”, Olexandr Turchynov said in his speech.