This memorable date was established in 2020 by Presidential Decree No. 58 to honor the courage and heroism of Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territory - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, to commemorate the anniversary of the rally in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine held on February 26, 2014, in Simferopol with the participation of Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians and representatives of other nationalities.
The day before, on February 25, the Department of Foreign Language Documents of the Vinnytsia Regional Scientific Library named after V. Otamanovsky held a historical hour “Crimea in the Heart of Ukraine: History and Present”, which was attended by
was attended by students of the Vinnytsia Vocational School 1, who had the opportunity to learn more about the indigenous peoples of Crimea - Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks and Karaites - who have inhabited this unique region for centuries.
The organizers of the event paid special attention to the periods of Crimean statehood and the tragic pages of history, including the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people in 1944, which became one of the most painful episodes of the twentieth century, and the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014. The participants also discussed the struggle of Crimean Tatars for their rights, their contribution to the cultural and political space of Ukraine, and the current challenges associated with the temporary occupation of the peninsula.
The audience learned about the prominent representatives of the Crimean Tatar people who made a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian cinema, art, literature and politics, and became symbols of the struggle for the rights of their people and Ukraine's independence in general.
A special guest was invited to the historic hour, Yulia Piskunova, deputy head of the NGO Vetan, who presented the video “We Fought Then, We Will Win Now.” This video is a reminder of the events of 2014, the repression of the pro-Ukrainian population of the peninsula and the full-scale war that has been going on for three years.
The event allowed the participants not only to deepen their knowledge of the history and culture of Crimea, but also to realize its importance for Ukraine.
