By Iclal Turan
WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Monday strongly condemned the continued persecution of Crimean Tatars by Russia.
"The U.S. strongly condemns the continued persecution of Crimean Tatars by Russian occupation authorities, including a new wave of mass arrests and detentions," Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Russia must end its persecution of Crimean Tatars, its occupation of Ukraine, and release all political prisoners there," he added.
Russian forces entered the Crimean Peninsula in February 2014. President Vladimir Putin formally divided the region into two separate federal subjects of the Russian Federation the following month.
Crimea's ethnic Tatars have since faced persecution, a situation especially decried by many countries. Türkiye, the European Union and the US as well as the UN General Assembly view Crimea’s annexation as illegal.