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On the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that it was the illegal seizure of Crimea that started the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The head of state said this in a message on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.
“Today is the day of courage and honesty of all those who did not turn a blind eye to Russia’s occupation of our Crimea. These days, 11 years ago, Russian aggression against Ukraine began with the illegal, vile seizure of Crimea. But the day of February 26 showed that there would be resistance – resistance from Crimea, resistance from all of Ukraine. This day showed that there are and will be people who will not accept lies and will not surrender their homes,” Zelenskyy said.
He noted that the years following the occupation of Crimea brought a lot of grief and cynicism. Many in the world did not want to understand what was really happening.
“But still, we managed to put the issue of Crimea’s liberation back on the world’s agenda. We founded the Crimean Platform. We do not allow Russia to “normalize” the occupation. We are releasing Crimean prisoners from captivity. We continue to fight for the right to a normal life and guarantees of security and sustainable peace for the whole of Ukraine,” the President said.
He emphasized that the territorial integrity, sovereignty and security of Ukraine are not and will not be subject to any compromises.
“The Day of Resistance in our Crimea is a day of respect for honesty, for Ukraine. And I am grateful to everyone who supports us!” the Head of State said.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, February 26 is the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in Ukraine. This is a memorable date on the anniversary of the rally of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Simferopol in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and against the extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea in 2014.
