British News Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky drew attention in his statement to the scale of the 1944 tragedy and the great losses suffered by the Crimean Tatar people.

Honoring the victims of the deportation, Zelensky said, “Today, we remember and honor the memory of all victims of the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people, one of the most brutal crimes of the Soviet regime. This deportation became a clear act of genocide against the Crimean Tatar people.”

Emphasizing that the 1944 deportation was an attempt to destroy a nation, Zelensky stated, “The year 1944 will forever go down in history as an attempt to destroy a nation, when everyone, young and old, was driven from their homes and sent to a foreign land.”

Pointing to the scale of the loss of life, Zelensky said, “A significant part of the people died on the way, and many could not survive in places of exile — at least one-third, which may be a very conservative estimate.”