Café Ukraїna #20: Women’s voices of the real Crimea

We invite everyone who cares about the fate of Europe to join us at Café Ukraїna on May 22 at 18:00 at the Polish Institute Berlin – Leipzig Branch. This meet-up is dedicated to remembrance and testimony.

Crimes against humanity do not expire. In May 1944, the Soviet regime carried out the forced deportation of the Crimean Tatars from their homeland. Within just a few days, an entire people was expelled – along with children, elderly people, and whole families.

In February 2014, the russian occupation of Crimea triggered a new wave of repression in the form of a gradual, hybrid deportation of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians.

In March 2026, the German publisher Ibidem released the book “Was bedeutete Russlands Besetzung der Krim?”, bringing together the voices of 12 women from Crimea. These are personal stories about the beginning of russian aggression, loss, resistance, and preserving dignity.

The authors include Elmira Ablyalimova, Elzara Batalova, Elnara Nuriieva-Letova, Elina, and others. Their narratives are not only documentary testimonies, but also living emotions that resonate with the tragedy of 1944.

Women’s voices carry a particular depth. The voices of Crimean Tatar women – representatives of the indigenous people of Crimea – hold a special power of memory and truth.

Program of the event:

• Reading in German and Ukrainian
• Discussion
• Open informal conversation

Remembering Crimea is our shared responsibility. We must preserve and pass it on– through stories, books, and voices. This is one way to remind the world of crimes that must not be forgotten.

Participants:

• Olena Bogatyrenko – writer, editor, and co-author of the book “What Did russia’s Occupation of Crimea Mean?”
• Elnara Nuriieva-Letova – Crimean Tatar author and publicist, co-founder and project manager of the Crimean Tatar civic media platform CEMAAT (Džemaat)

Languages of the event: German with Ukrainian translation.

Free admission.