Opinion: Ukraine is in tears - tough stand must be taken against Russian military occupation

By Olesya Gavryluk

Ukraine is calling on the EU and international community for support and commitment within the framework of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.

As an ethnic centre of outstanding resorts, Crimea deserves the prosperous development of tourism, rather than being destroyed by Russian military invasion.

For several days, Russian armed military forces have been arriving on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, claiming they are there "to protect Russian speaking citizens of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and stabilize the situation". They have forced Ukrainian military units to surrender their weapons, as well as to remove Ukrainian flags and install Russian flags.

For centuries, Ukraine has been a multinational country and, during the years of independence, the rights of no single minority has been discriminated against or violated, especially in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Furthermore, the native Crimean Tatars finally came back to the ethnic land of Crimea and restored the deserved peace and prosperity after the Stalin’s violent and massive deportation to Central Asia. To replace the deported natives, Stalin resettled Russians in Crimea, and these were treated and respected as native brothers by the local Ukrainians.

The leader of Crimean Tatars, Refat Chubarov ,is confident that the invasion of the Russian Federation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea resembles the scenario of the mass murders of Crimean Tatars. Ukraine is multicultural, multilingual and diverse, and has to stay united!

Dozen actions of protest against the Russian occupation took place during the first weekend of March in all Ukraine's cities, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and other major cities in the EU. It has been demanded that the war be stopped, and sanctions placed on the Russian Federation.

On 1 March, Russian soldiers occupying the territory, applied violent force to peaceful demonstrators, including children - for centuries, the Ukrainian population has been fighting for independence, freedom and prosperity and historically suffering under Russian occupation, but never before have they been brought to their knees.

The Ukrainian population remembers Russian aggression throughout history, including the Famine of 1932-1933, when 20 million people died. In Ukrainian memories are the horrors of Stalin terror and the mass murders of Ukrainian intelligence. Ukrainians will now always remember the murders organized by the Janukovich regime in 2014, when professors, doctors, architects, lawyers, writers, diplomats and students were killed.

The Russian mass media is presenting Ukrainians as extremists or nationalists - throughout history, the Ukrainian population has been peaceful, friendly and open. It loves its native land, and fights for European values, freedom and prosperity. Every Ukrainian respects the past in order to proudly enter the future…

Ukrainians do not want a war with their Russian brothers, but they would protect their country, which is not yet perfectly developed, diverse and multilingual, but at least free and united.

The Ukrainian population is in tears - they are calling on the EU and the international community for a tough stand against the Russian military occupation in Ukraine.

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