Ukraine Supporters In Crimea Mourn Its Occupation

"Today is the birthday of Shevchenko and I came specially to hear at least one Ukrainian word be spoken... I so long for Ukraine, I love the country so much. I would like to die in Ukraine. I hate these occupiers," said an elderly woman in Simferopol, Crimea who was celebrating the birth of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko. Shevchenko, always a revered figure in Ukraine, has become even more popular since the Maidan revolution as a symbol of Ukrainian cultural and political independence. The three activists who marked Shevchenko's birthday in Simferopol were detained by police. The grounds for their arrest were unclear. All three were later charged with disturbing the peace and for the use of "extremist" Ukrainian symbols. They were sentenced to 40 hours of correctional labor each. Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March 2014.

The clip was filmed by Crimea, Blacksea TV, a local, independent news outlet.