On January 14, Ukrinform hosted a roundtable discussion on “Violation of the right to education in the state language in the context of the occupied Crimea”. Metropolitan Klyment of Simferopol and Crimea said that Ukrainians in Crimea have faced obstacles since the restoration of independence.
This was reported by Voice of Crimea.
“Ukrainians in Crimea had no access to education as the first Ukrainian groups began to appear in the first half of the 2000s. Before that (from 1991), there were no Ukrainian schools or Ukrainian groups. Thanks to activists, Ukrainians, and teachers, little by little, such groups began to open in Bakhchisarai, Simferopol, and then a Ukrainian gymnasium was opened through great joint effort,” he recalled.
Bishop Klyment added that all those who fought against the Ukrainian language would later send their children to study in these educational institutions. Thus, according to him, ethnic Ukrainians had limited educational space.
“After 2014, everything was utterly destroyed. Although formally several Ukrainian groups remained, it was in the ‘pre-2014’ form. School principals would do anything to avoid recruiting a certain number of students to open such a group. Then, they would claim there were no applicants and no applications to do so. In other words, they would do everything to prevent Ukrainian groups from existing,” he said.
The Metropolitan noted that after 2014, the OCU turned into a national and cultural spiritual center. In addition to its services being held in Ukrainian, the church had a Ukrainian library.
“We tried to hold educational classes and courses and assisted Ukrainian children in leaving Crimea so that they could continue their studies in mainland Ukraine. I can say that this practice of helping children has yielded excellent results - all the children have received higher education,” Klyment said.
However, according to him, many parents refused to listen, believing that their children could get an education after the occupation. Now, the occupiers are using these children as cannon fodder in the war against Ukraine.
“The destruction of the OCU is a manifestation of the destruction of national identity in the TOT. Not to mention Crimea, where everything that could be destroyed has been destroyed. Everything and anything Ukrainian is being destroyed in the TOT with great cruelty. Yes, earlier, people would be imprisoned for the Ukrainian flag in Crimea, but there was at least a pretence of observing humanitarian law... After 2022, everything is being destroyed; people are imprisoned for singing, speaking and even thinking in Ukrainian,” Metropolitan Klyment said.