Crimean Tatars fight to preserve identity amidst war
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Liudmyla Korotkykh, a Crimean Tatar lawyer living in Kyiv, describes how her people have faced displacement and occupation since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
For centuries, Crimean Tatars have lived in Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea, where their culture is deeply connected to the land. In 1944, Joseph Stalin deported the Crimean Tatars to Central Asia, accusing them of collaborating with Nazi Germany, and suppressed their culture for decades.
After returning to Crimea during the late Soviet era and rebuilding their communities, Crimean Tatars again faced hardship when Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014. They actively opposed the occupation, leading to arrests and accusations of extremism. Despite these pressures, Crimean Tatars maintain their identity through language, traditions, and cultural expression, especially among younger generations. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified the challenges for Crimean Tatars, with increased arrests and prosecutions.
Korotkykh fears that continued displacement could lead to the disappearance of her people, who number only a few hundred thousand worldwide, and advocates for greater international recognition of their rights. Ukraine officially recognized Crimean Tatars as an Indigenous People in 2021, a step toward acknowledging Indigenous identity within Europe.
