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Representatives from some 40 countries will meet in Kiev on Monday, including Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, as well as heads of state, ministers or heads of parliaments.
The Crimean Platform, organized at the initiative of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, is a way of reminding the world that the peninsula has been occupied by Russia for eight years. This is particularly important in view of the events of recent years, when the Crimean issue has almost disappeared from the arena of international politics. Even at the Normandy Quartet meeting in late 2019, when the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France came to the joint table, the Crimean issue remained largely intact.
At that time, the situation in occupied Crimea is becoming increasingly complicated. There is a shortage of fresh water on the peninsula and Moscow continues to persecute the Crimean Tatars. This week alone, four Crimean Tatars were arrested and several more houses searched. All are accused of acting against the Kremlin. Dozens of Crimean Tatars are currently detained in Russia. Among them was the famous Ukrainian film director Oleg Sencov, who returned to his homeland after five years in a Russian prison in 2019, when Moscow and Kiev agreed to exchange prisoners. But there are many in Russia like Oleg.
Aider Mujdabayev, deputy director general of Crimean Tatar television ATR, cannot return to his homeland. After the occupation of the peninsula, the television channel was forced to move to Kiev from where it tries every day to remind the world of both the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbass. Muždabajev assures that the Crimean issue is currently forgotten, but believes that one day he will be able to return to his homeland.
– Several more Crimean Tatars were arrested this week, what is your situation on the peninsula in general?
– The situation is getting worse, as the number of arrests is only increasing. The last Crimean Tatar released from Russia was in 2019. Almost two years have passed, but no one has been released. They are all taken to Russia, where they are imprisoned for 14 or 18 years. Nothing changes and I think it will get worse. Russia is only getting more aggressive. What we are seeing now in Russia, all imprisonment for trying to tell the truth openly, has been going on in Crimea since 2014. Moscow believes that we Crimean Tatars should not be, our voice should not be heard. In his opinion, the Crimean Tatars should shut up and pretend that they don’t even exist. That’s what all arrests are for. People do not want to choose, speak, express themselves on social media. They are even hampered by concerts, peaceful and apolitical events organized by the Crimean Tatars. It goes without saying that as a result of people leaving the Crimea, who would want to live in fear all the time? Any.
Scanpix Photo / Crimea
– Why does Russia consider the Crimean Tatar its enemy?
– Very simple answer: Putin simply continues what the Russian Empress Catherine II and everyone else started after her. All their policies are directed against the actions of the Crimean Tatars. The peninsula was hijacked under a kind of peace treaty that supposedly ensured the independence of Crimea. Now the Budapest Memorandum is being violated. Everything happens in exactly the same way. After the agreement, Catherine II brought the army into the Crimea and began to destroy the Crimean Tatars, who at that time represented 93 percent of the total population of the peninsula. The same was done with Stalin in 1944. Later, when we returned to the Crimea, we lived in apartheid conditions. The Crimean Tatars oppressed, did not hire, beat children in schools for what they were.
Russia had no plans for us to return to the Crimea. Now they too are trying to keep as few of us as possible on the peninsula, which is why more Russians are being brought there. It is simply genocide, an attempt to replace the Crimean Tatars with another nation.
Crimea belonged to Russia for only 6 percent of the entire period of written history. We talk about it and therefore we hinder them as witnesses to the crime.
„Scanpix“ / AP nuotr./V.Putinas Kryme
– How many Crimean Tatars are now in Crimea?
– Before the occupation of the peninsula it was around 15-17 percent. But over the years, Russia has brought many of its inhabitants to the Crimea, maybe half a million, maybe even a million. So now, I think Crimean Tatars make up 7 to 8 percent. These are not confirmed data, because there is simply no confirmed data: Russia does not publish any figures. However, looking at the construction that is being carried out in Crimea, as well as the magnitude of the arrival of the soldiers and their families, it can be said that the same policy of Catherine II is being followed.
– It seems that the issue of Crimea has almost disappeared from the international political arena in recent years. I’m wrong?
– No, that’s correct. This is one of my criticisms of the former president of Ukraine, Peter Poroshenko. He promised any support during his tenure, but did nothing for us. It did not pass a law on the Crimean Tatars as an ethnic nation on the peninsula. Also in the international arena, there was no mention of Crimea. He focused only on Donbass and sometimes mentioned Crimea only by the way.
– However, Volodymyr Zelensky is also president for many years, and little has been done about Crimea during that time.
– I think the focus on Crimea, which we are seeing now, is solely due to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmitry Kuleba. I know your position, you have raised the issue of the Crimean Tatars more than once at the Council of Europe level. The fact that he has now chosen a Crimean Tatar as his first deputy also speaks volumes. We all understand what question you are responsible for. I think it was he who convinced the current president to deal with Crimea.
– It goes without saying that Ukraine should raise the Crimea issue first, but the Western world should act as well, but the Crimea issue seems to have been forgotten.
– I think you Lithuanians can understand this better than anyone. All Lithuanians can understand how Crimean Tatars feel now. Remember the years when the West did not officially recognize the occupation of Lithuania, but cooperated with the Soviet Union. It is happening the same way now. The occupation of Crimea is not officially recognized, but like then, for example, Germany and France continue to cooperate with the Kremlin. History repeats itself and who, if not the Lithuanians, will understand it better.
– Do you think the West will turn to Crimea?
– Yes, that possibility exists, but only at a time when Putin will do something like that, when Germany or France itself will move away from him. We see that with each passing year, he becomes more and more arrogant. I believe that one day he will do something that no one will forgive him for. What will not be possible to close, as was done with the plane, the Nord Stream II or the Crimean Tatars. But so far, Putin has managed to get away with it, sometimes bribing politicians, sometimes using other methods.
– At that time, there is another problem on the peninsula itself – it has been said for some time that there is a lack of fresh water there.
– As far as I know, the situation is really bad. Water is extracted from anywhere, there is no maintenance: whoever finds water finds water. Nobody thinks about nature conservation anymore. We have seen an example of this recently when there was a flood. It all happened because no one is thinking about conserving nature anymore. In the past, people were concerned about keeping the sewer system clean, and now chaotic construction is taking place and all the construction debris is being dumped anywhere. Therefore, the flood that followed filled everything. You see, when an occupant arrives, they don’t care about a thing. The most important thing for him is to establish a military base. That is why there is a lack of water: it is not enough to supply the military base, the settlers. In the past, water was enough for everyone.
See what they did to their Lake Baikal. Once I was there, it turned into a garbage can. They also treat Crimea.
Russia is exploiting this for propaganda purposes, saying that Ukraine, having closed the canal through which the water flowed into Crimea, left its people without water. But it’s just disgusting propaganda. Everything he captures, ruled by Russia, turns to mud. See what they did to their Lake Baikal. Once I was there, it turned into a garbage can. They also treat Crimea.
– Will the Crimean platform on Monday help the peninsula?
– It will certainly help, at least morally. This at least will not forget the Crimean issue. Ukraine must constantly remember Crimea. I think this initiative is very good. Clearly more can be done, but without it we will be completely overwhelmed.
Sad that our closest friend did.
– What should the West and, at the same time, Lithuania do to make the issue of Crimea stronger?
– I can only say one thing about Lithuania … Yes, you are our allies and help us, but there is a problem. For example, our television channel, the only Crimean Tatar in Ukraine, asked the Lithuanian authorities for help. We sent letters, but no one paid attention. We even turned it over to the president, promising to help us. Sad that our closest friend did. But I hope all is well and we get help.
– How do you think you will return to the Crimea?
– Of course yes. Dead or alive, but I’ll be back.
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