More than 2,000 people took part in a traditional climbing on Chatyr-Dag, one of the highest mountains of Crimea, in the memory of victims of Crimean Tatar people’s deportation in 1944.

The event was arranged by the Crimean tatar Mejlis, Crimean Federation of Traditional “Kuresh” Wrestling and some youth social organisations, the “Crimea.Reality” website reports.

On the climbing day’s (which is usually held on the eve of May 18, the tragical date for Crimean tatars) morning they held a prayer at the Angar mountain passage.

After the prayer a group of participants mostly consisting of young men and women headed for the Eqlizi-Burun upland (1,527 m A.S.L.), holding the Crimean Tatars People’s flags.

During the wald (which lasted for about 3.5-4 hours) some participants steamed Ukrainian flags, although the facilitators asked not to bring along the blue-and-yellow flags in order to avoid provocations.

They chanted “Millet! Vatan! Qırım!” (Cr.-Tat. “People! Homeland! Crimea!”), “Hail to Crimean Tatars!” and “Hail To Ukraine!”.

The participants settled a Crimean Tatar flag immediately at the mountain top, performed a prayer and made some supplications in memory of the deportation victims. Besides, they sand the Crimean Tatar anthem “Ant etkenmen” (“I swore”).

According to the facilitators, that was the fifth annual climbing in a row, with more than 2,000 people participating, which made a king of record.

This year, according to the Crimean Tatar Mejlis’ decision, 3 main events are to be held in memory of the deportation victims of May 18. This includes climbing Chatyr-Dag (took place on May 10), “Light a fire in your heart” (is to be held on May 17), and all-crimean mourning meeting (planned for May 18).

On May 11, 1944, Joseph Stalin signed an order “On resettlement of Tatars from the Crimean ASSR to Uzbek SSR” where he referred to the Crimean tatars as “fascists collaborants”. In course of deportation which started on May 18 and was completed on May 20 more that 200,000 people were forcefully resettled.