The official prosecution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, that moved to mainland Ukraine after the peninsula was annexed by Russia, has resumed the criminal investigation of the forcible deportation of Tatars from the peninsula, conducted by the Soviet Union back in 1944.

This is according to the prosecution's press office, UNIAN reports.  

The law enforcers have created a registry, listing 160 individuals who suffered from the deportation along with their relatives.

The persons named in the list have been invited for an interview in the Kherson region, which borderlines Crimea.

The prosecutors say they will also examine materials, linked to the investigation, that are stored in 300 libraries across Ukraine.

In May 1944, the Communists forcefully deported dozens of thousands of Crimean Tatars in just three days. The Tatars were taken to the countries in central Asia, namely Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Source: UNIAN