Europe
Russia: ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Crimean Tatars
Crimean Tatar leaders, forced into exile by Russian judicial orders, accuse Moscow of a campaign of raids and harassment aimed at driving Tatars from the peninsula.
Tag: Tatars
Europe
Novorossiya resurgent?
With the open encouragement of Putin, separatists in eastern Ukraine are reviving the concept of "Novorossiya" (New Russia)—a dangerous precedent for revanchist claims.
Europe
Crimean Tatars vote to seek autonomy
The Majilis of Crimean Tatars voted to seek "a national autonomous territory" on the peninsula, with leaders calling on their people to stay and fight for their rights.
Europe
Tatars flee Crimea, fearing persecution
Russia's annexation of Crimea has sent nearly a thousand of the region's ethnic Tatars fleeing the peninsula for western Ukraine, faced with threats by local authorities.
Europe
First blood as Russia annexes Crimea
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea are now facing off with Russian troops and paramilitary forces—with one reported dead as Crimea was formally annexed.
Europe
Crimean Tatars protest Russian occupation
Crimean Tatars held protests in the peninsula, calling for a boycott of the referendum on union with Russia and demanding that Russian troops return to barracks.
Europe
Crimea: Hizb ut-Tahrir in crosshairs
Newly appointed Crimean security chief Petr Zima announced new measures against Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist organization with a following among the Tatars.
Europe
Crimean Tatars at issue in Ukraine crisis
With pro-Russian gunmen occupying Crimea's parliament and Moscow threatening intervention, the Tatars have emerged as a dissident voice opposing union with Russia.
The Caucasus
Volgograd terror: revenge of ‘Caucasus Emirate’?
In the wake of the Volgograd terror blasts, Putin is preparing a new offensive against Chechen insurgents seeking to rebuild the 19th century "Caucasus Emirate."
Europe
Muhsin
A 24-year-old Crimean Tatar was sentenced by a court in Russian-annexed Crimea to 10-and-a-half years' imprisonment for supposed involvement in a volunteer force patrolling the border of Crimea and mainland Ukraine to help enforce a blockade. Video evidence introduced in the trial only showed the suspect from behind. Nonetheless, Fevzi Sahandzhy was convicted of being a member of the Asker Battalion—also known as the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, in honor of the martyred president of the short-lived independent Crimean Republic of 1918. The Battalion began participating in the blockade of Crimea in 2015 to press demands for the release of political prisoners and restoration of freedom of speech and assembly on the peninsula. (Photo: Human Rights in Ukraine)
Europe
FIRE9
In Episode 17 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses growing repression against the Tatar people of the Crimea, and the abrogation of their autonomous government by the Russian authorities since Moscow's illegal annexation of the peninsula. This is a clear parallel to violation of the territorial rights of the Lakota people in the United States through construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the legal persecution of indigenous leaders who stood against it. The parallel is even clearer in the cases of the Evenks and Telengit, indigenous peoples of Siberia, resisting Russian construction of pipelines through their traditional lands. Yet the US State Department's Radio Free Europe aggressively covers the Tatar struggle, while Kremlin propaganda organ Russia Today (RT) aggressively covered the Dakota Access protests. Indigenous struggles are exploited in the propaganda game played by the rival superpowers. It is imperative that indigenous peoples and their allies overcome the divide-and-rule game and build solidarity across borders and influence spheres. Listen on SoundCloud, and support our podcast via Patreon.