Russia seized the Black Sea peninsula in March 2014 after sending in troops and staging a referendum deemed illegitimate by at least 100 countries. In April that year, Russia threw its support behind armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, where more than 13,000 people have been killed in the ongoing conflict.
February 26 was declared the Day Against Russia’s Annexation of Crimea because on that day in 2014 Ukrainians held the largest protest in Crimea’s capital, Simferopol, against Russia’s intervention in the peninsula following the toppling of of Moscow-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych, Zelenskiy’s office said in a statement.
Zelenskiy also said the return of Crimea to Ukraine was not only his goal as the country’s leader, but also his personal standpoint as a Ukrainian citizen.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine had the backing of the international community in its fight to bring Crimea back.
“And we know that this day is sure to come,” he was quoted as saying.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Zelenskiy’s move “does not correspond to the real situation around Crimea,” adding that Moscow “categorically” disagrees with the wording of Zelenskiy’s decree.
With reporting by Interfax and TASS
Radio Free | Radio Free (2020-02-26T14:53:15+00:00) Zelenskiy Declares February 26 Memorial Day To Mark Annexation Of Crimea. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/02/26/zelenskiy-declares-february-26-memorial-day-to-mark-annexation-of-crimea/
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