PR Army initiated a global campaign on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Russia’s occupation of Crimea

Discover more about PR Army's initiative “Deportation Crimea: Drop in the Ocean” which draws the attention to Russia’s occupation of Crimea.

The public organization PR Army, in cooperation with Ukraine 5 AM Coalition, the Charity Foundation “East SOS”, Crimea SOS, ZMINA, and the Crimean Human Rights Group, has launched the initiative “Deportation Crimea: Drop in the Ocean” on social media platforms, within the framework of the campaign Where Are Our People? The initiative aims to draw the attention of the international community to the deportation from Crimea as a process perpetrated by the Russian Federation not only over the past 10 years but since the late 18th century.

In 2014, the Crimean Peninsula became a place from which Russian occupiers repeatedly deported Ukrainians and Crimean Tatar to their territory. After February 24, 2022, Russians began using Crimea as a transit point or temporary accommodation center for deported Ukrainians, especially children, from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

“Russians deport people to impose authority and colonize the land, rendering people incapable of resistance. If Ukraine de-occupies Crimea, the Kremlin will have fewer means for deportation, as the peninsula is one of the key strategic points of this policy. Share our messages on social media to attract the international community’s attention to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its crimes against humanity,” said Anastasiia Marushevska, co-founder of PR Army and coordinator of the Where Are Our People? campaign.

The posts on social media are dedicated to the resilience and resistance of Crimeans against Russia’s continuous aggression from the 18th century to the present. “Every voice matters in the fight for freedom and justice because ‘I am a drop in the ocean,’” reads the first published post on the participants’ pages.

The organizers call on the world to join the initiative “Deportation Crimea: Drop in the Ocean” to strengthen diplomatic pressure and anti-Russian sanctions, gain international recognition of Russia’s deportation policy, and mobilize international solidarity. The creation of a global coalition can amplify Ukraine’s messages and exert stronger pressure on Russia to cease its repressive policy in Crimea.

Background:

PR Army is an independent non-profit organization of Ukrainian communication experts. The team collaborates with global media and connects Ukrainian war witnesses, officials, and experts from various fields with international journalists. The mission of PR Army is to help Ukraine win the information war against Russia and build Ukraine’s image as a democratic and independent European country. It was launched shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The core of PR Army is a team of volunteer communicators.

Where Are Our People? (WAOP) is a global campaign of PR Army aimed at exposing Russia’s planned policy of forcible deportation of Ukrainians, highlighting the issue in discourse, and calling for the necessity of sustained pressure on Russia and international human rights organizations to repatriate the deported individuals.