On March 28, the public resistance movement “Yellow Ribbon” handed over to representatives of the European Parliament letters from Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar activists and opinion leaders with stories about resistance to the Russian occupiers in Crimea. Among the addressees, in particular, the head of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola. Together with the letters, the MEPs received tickets for the upcoming first railway flights to the liberated peninsula as a gift.
The letters are addressed to 14 European parliamentarians. Among them: Roberta Metzola (Chairman of the European Parliament, Malta), Rigo Terras (Estonia), Piatras Austrävičius (Lithuania), Guy Verhofstadt (Belgium), Radosław Sikorski (Poland), Viola von Kramon-Taubadel (Germany), Nathalie Loiseau (France). .
“The bravery and resilience of Ukrainians is an example for the whole world. My late father was a member of the French resistance movement and told me about life under foreign occupation. He saw his country liberated and enjoyed freedom, remembering the loss of brave soldiers and friends. Glory to Ukraine!”, says Nathalie Loiseau, the representative of France in the European Parliament.
First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Japarova, representatives of the “Yellow Ribbon” in Crimea and Crimean Tatar activists, as well as other opinion leaders, participated in writing letters to the MEPs: permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva; film director, actor, Honored Artist of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, military serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Akhtem Seitablayev; editor-in-chief of the online publication “Ukrainian Pravda”, co-founder of the NGO “Crimea SOS” Sevgil Musaeva; sister of Crimean Tatar activist Bohdan Ziza, illegally imprisoned by the occupiers, public activist Oleksandr Barkov; director and screenwriter of the film “Cherkasy” Timur Yashchenko; a Crimean woman, anonymous conductor of evacuation trains of “Ukrzaliznytsia”.
“Even after nine years of occupation, the resistance movement in Crimea remains strong. He lives on in Ukrainian songs, which Crimeans continue to listen to despite the ban. In political prisoners who did not betray their Motherland. In the unique nature and traditions of the peninsula. The blue-yellow flag, which recently flew in the village of Hrushivka, announces that Crimea is waiting to be returned to Ukraine,” writes Emine Japarova, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in her letter.
Along with the letters, Yellow Ribbon representatives handed the European deputies tickets for the first trains to the Ukrainian Crimea, which they will be able to use after the deoccupation of the peninsula and the resumption of passenger service by Ukrzaliznytsia.
“Europeans know surprisingly little about the Crimean resistance, because Russian propaganda in Europe is still active. According to official data, almost 200 people from Crimea are in Russian custody. The support of MEPs is extremely important not only for Ukrainians, but also for the Kyrimlas (Crimean Tatars), for whom the peninsula is their only home. The letters that the representatives of our movement delivered to the European parliamentarians in Brussels should become a powerful voice of the Crimean resistance, which will be heard not only by diplomats, but also by ordinary citizens of European countries,” the founders of “Yellow Ribbon” say.
“Yellow Ribbon” is a public resistance movement that was formed in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia in the spring of 2022. So far, more than 7,000 activists from Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol, Zaporizhzhya, Mykolaiv, Kherson regions and other temporarily occupied territories have joined the movement. They carry out informational resistance to the occupiers, hanging yellow ribbons, blue-yellow flags and other Ukrainian symbols on the streets, as well as organizing protest flash mobs on social networks and collecting information about the occupiers and collaborators.
