Shevchenko's days in March are special dates in the Ukrainian calendar. Communities in most cities of Ukraine, including Crimea, would gather by the monuments to the Kobzar [Ed.: another poetic name of Shevchenko; kobzars were itinerant bards in Ukraine], and significant events of social and political life would take place. However, following the Russia's special operation to seize Crimea, the social and political situation on the peninsula has deteriorated dramatically.

The Russian Federation tried to disguise its occupation and pass its actions off as a manifestation of Crimean separatism or radical opposition of the Crimeans to the new government of Ukraine. The Kremlin was illegally moving its troops to the south of Ukraine at the same time carrying out a massive disinformation and propaganda attack aimed at the Crimean population. Simultaneously, Russia was trying to beguile an outside observer by creating the illusion that the residents of Sevastopol held their separatist rallies independently. Back then, on 02/23/2014, the crowd on Nakhimov Square, comprised mostly of disguised Russian servicemen and employees of the enterprises belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, illegally appointed a citizen of the Russian Federation as a so-called "people's mayor" (a non-existent position).

In early March 2014, rallies for territorial integrity of Ukraine took place in Simferopol in Taras Shevchenko Park – next to the monument of the great Ukrainian poet. This was a symbolic place for the Crimeans. The first bust of Kobzar was installed in the park in 1964. The new one was a gift from the town of Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, installed in 1997 in front of the arch of the central entrance to the park. The monument is recognized as a cultural heritage site of regional significance, and the area around it is a well-known venue for public events of the Ukrainian community of Crimea. Before the occupation, on official holidays (for example, the Independence Day of Ukraine, the birthday of Kobzar), representatives of the authorities of the autonomy would lay flowers at the monument.

On 03.02.2014, by the initiative of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement, several dozen people gathered for an event of peaceful resistance to the occupation. Eventually, such rallies were held on a regular basis and the number of their participants was growing despite the threats to safety and lives of the activists .

Before the start of the event, two of its organizers - Andriy Shchekun , co-coordinator of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement, and Anatoly Kovalsky, an activist of the same movement, were captured by the Crimean self-defense militants at the railway station. The Ukrainians arrived there to pick up state flags for the rally from the Kyiv train. At the rally, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate Kliment, reported the abduction of the activists.

Participants of the event chanted patriotic Ukrainian slogans: "Arise, Crimea!", "Together until the end!", "Ukraine is above all!", "Heroes do not die!"

Kliment shared his recollections about the policemen at the event, their aggressive attitude and threats: "Just one more week, and we will hang you all Ukrainians on these lamp posts."

On the same day, 03/09/2014, in Sevastopol a pro-Ukrainian rally initiated by the Maidan-Sevastopol public group also took place near the monument to Taras Shevchenko on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the poet. The local monument was a gift to the city from the All-Ukrainian Shevchenko Charitable Foundation. The bronze sculpture was made by Vasyl and Volodymyr Odrekhivsky, masters from Lviv, and the pedestal styled as a bandura was made by a Sevastopol architect Georgy Grigoryants, 500 thousand UAH were allocated from the local budget for the installation of the monument. It was solemnly opened on 08/24/2003 – the Independence Day of Ukraine. In honor of Taras Shevchenko, the local authorities also renamed the surrounding square. Same as in Simferopol, the public often gathered there on memorable occasions.

The anthem of Ukraine, Ukrainian songs and poetry of Taras Shevchenko were heard. The rally participants unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the Ukrainian authorities to respond strongly to separatism and the military occupation of Crimea, and to uphold the constitutional order of Ukraine and the security of its citizens with involvement of international peacekeeping forces.

Groups of people with Russian symbols and pro-Russian slogans, including the so-called "self-defense" militants, particularly the members of the so-called "Russian bloc battalion", as well as cossacks from Krasnodar and Rostov, arrived at the venue of the rally. Fighters wearing the uniforms of Donbas security agencies were for the first time detected there.

On 03/11/2014, the illegitimate Prime Minister of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov publicly reported that Andriy Schekun and other activists of the Crimean Euromaidan were detained by the so-called "Crimean special forces", ostensibly for destruction of the citizen’s passports, went on talking about some provocative materials allegedly confiscated from the activists. Aksyonov assured that the detainees were alive and well, but as it turned out later, Shchekun and Kovalsky were actually brutally beaten and tortured.  

Abductions and persecution of pro-Ukrainian activists continued for the next few days, and some of them had to eventually flee Crimea. For example, Serhiy Kovalsky, co-coordinator of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement, moved to the mainland on 03/11/2014, and the occupation authorities promised a $ 10,000 reward for his capture. The day before, another co-coordinator of this movement, Serhiy Mokrenyuk, had to flee as well.

In 2016, some unidentified people put the image of a trident and wrote ‘Glory to Ukraine!’ on the legendary monument in Simferopol. In response, the occupation authorities installed surveillance cameras to monitor the monument. These days, the events can be held there only by the parties controlled by the invaders, whereas independent associations of Ukrainians are prohibited from doing this. From time to time, Russian chauvinists petition to demolish or move the Shevchenko monument in Simferopol.

Mykola Shiptur, an activist from Ivano-Frankivsk, was illegally sentenced in Sevastopol on 04/28/2015, more than a year after he was unlawfully detained by the militants in the Taras Shevchenko park. He was sentenced to 10 years in a maximum security prison for alleged attempted assassination (after an appeal, the term was reduced to 9 years).

In February 2016, a group of people from the Gagarinsky District of Sevastopol turned to the occupation administration with a request to demolish the monument to the poet in order to "remove an alien element of the Ukrainian heritage", and install "something Russian" instead. The Ukrainian National Cultural Society of Sevastopol protested against this initiative.

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies of the autonomy are conducting a pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings on the counts of illegal confinement of Andriy Shchekun, Yuri Shevchenko, Anatoly Kovalsky, Maksym Kryvydenko, Oleksiy Grytsenko, Serhiy Suprun, Mykhailo Vdovchenko by representatives of the illegal formation Self-Defense of Crimea constituting criminal offenses under Parts 1, 2 Article 438, Part 2 Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). In the course of the pre-trial investigation of these events, the involvement of 4 individuals, members of the illegal armed formation Self-Defense of Crimea was established. They were indicted of committing a war crime under Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war). According to the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, violence to life and person is prohibited, in particular ill-treatment and torture, outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment of persons protected by the Convention. Charges were also brought under Part 2 Art. 146 (illegal imprisonment or kidnapping) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.