To consider Crimea solely as a “tourist area with unique nature” and to ignore the fact that it is the homeland of the entire Crimean Tatar people— who live under constant threat and terror from the occupier because of their loyalty to Ukraine and democratic values—is to ignore the core of the problem!

It is impossible to talk about the occupation of Crimea without mentioning Stalin’s repressions and the 1944 deportation-genocide aimed at the destruction of the peninsula’s Indigenous people, as well as Russia’s current crimes against everyone who opposes the occupation. Russia systematically violates not only the international rules of occupation and warfare, but also basic human rights and freedoms.

This must be the central message—because it is based on norms of international law and the obligations of all international institutions, including the United States, to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Both European states and the United States have adopted resolutions that clearly declare the occupation of Crimea illegal and emphasize the undeniable right of the Crimean Tatars, as the Indigenous people of Crimea, to their homeland. If we omit this aspect in public statements, our partners simply will not understand us.

As for “tourism”—there has been virtually none in Crimea over the past three years not because of “ecological or economic issues,” but because since February 2022, as part of its military struggle, Ukraine has systematically “disturbed the peace” of Russian settlers whom Moscow massively relocated after the occupation—just as it did after the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars.

These settlers view Crimea as a resource they can exploit “for free” for their own interests, but due to ongoing military operations, it has become inconvenient—they no longer see it as a stable or “peaceful haven.”

Crimea is not just nature and not just a territory to be bargained over. This large-scale war began with Crimea, and without reclaiming Crimea, there will be neither Ukraine nor a just peace in the world.

Crimea is a symbol and the key to regional security, a test for international law, and a shared responsibility of Ukraine and the entire civilized world. Reducing its significance to the uniqueness of its landscape and nature is a betrayal of the core values of the free democratic world.