Escalation of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine

Transcription

1 #10 (18) 2018 HOT TOPIC The Occupation and the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar People: what is next? pages 6-7 POSITION Andriy Deshchytsia: Russia is using the OSCE Meeting to legitimise the occupying power in Crimea pages 8-9 HISTORY AND CULTURE Rustem Skybin: Everything created by the Crimean Tatars, following the first annexation of Crimea by Tsarist Russia, was attributed as non- Crimean Tatar pages Escalation of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine

2 FACTS REPRESSIONS ON ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUNDS CONTINUE: On 16 November, the FSB of Russia undertook mass searches and detentions of those suspected of belonging to the Jehovah Witnesses religious organisation in the town of Dzhankoi, Crimea. These searches were conducted simultaneously at 30 addresses. Serhiy Filatov, the Leader of the local Jehovah s Witnesses, was detained. Several days later, on 21 November, the FSB searched the house of a Staryi Krym resident Ismet Memetov, who is a Crimean Tatar activist. Representatives of the occupying power informed him that he was suspected of being involved in the activities of, and in the financing of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people. Ismet Memetov denied these allegations, explaining that the search was exclusively due to his principled public posture. Refat Chubarov, the Mejlis Chairman, also denied these allegations. He is a man respected by his neighbours. He could have attended various court hearings involving people close to him, and that was simply it, noted Chubarov, adding that any allegations with which invaders come to the houses of Crimean Tatars, are used by them for further repressions against the Crimean Tatar people. Фото з сайту Херсонської ОДА Around six thousand instances of cyber attacks by Russia on installations in Ukraine have been reported during the past four years. Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine s Foreign Minister, disclosed this information at an Election Security Conference in Brussels. DRAFT UN RESOLUTION ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN CRIMEA APPROVED An updated UN Draft Resolution entitled The situation of Human Rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine) was approved at a sitting of The United Nations General Assembly Third Committee. This document was upheld by 67 UN member states. The text also contains calls to liberate those Ukrainian nationals illegally imprisoned in occupied Crimea and the Russian Federation, refrain from the criminalisation of the rights to the freedom of expression and to the freedom of assembly, and stop the discrimination against those who do not recognise the annexation of Crimea. The film producer Oleh Sentsov, activist Volodymyr Balukh, and Crimean Tatar Human rights defender Emir Usein Kuku are recognised as political prisoners in this document. The UN member states condemn the Russian Federation for forcing Crimean residents to take up Russian citizenship, to engage in military operations, and to conduct unlawful election campaigns. Stated in the document is a requirement for International organisations and UN specialized agencies to refer to the Ukrainian peninsula in their official documents as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. OCCUPYING AUTHORITIES CONTEMPLATE TIGHTENING CONTROL OVER CRIMEANS HOLDING UKRAINIAN PASSPORTS The occupying authorities are considering options to strengthen their control over Ukrainian nationals moving between Crimea and the mainland Ukraine. Such plans were announced by Igor Mykhailichenko, the so-called Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Crimea. The representative of the occupying state stated that the enhanced migration control of Crimeans is needed due to uncontrolled usage of Ukrainian passports. At the same time, Mikhailichenko noted that it cannot be ruled out that the relevant actions might produce a social explosion in Crimea, since every other person has relatives in Ukraine. Crimea Inform Magazine, No. 10 (18). Certificate of State Registration КВ Р of Founder: Ukrinform Ukrainian National News Agency. Publisher: PE Company Apollon, 79054, Lviv, Yavornitskogo, 8/82, tel.: +38 (032) , +38 (067) , imperial@mail.lviv.ua. Editor in Chief: Kazdobina Y. Address of the editorial office: B. Khmelnytskoho, str. 8/16, Kiev, 01001, tel.: (044) ; fax: (044) , office@ukrinform.ua. Reprint only with written permission of the editorial office. Published by: Imperial Group Company LLC. Address: 79056, Lviv, Haiduchka, str. 1, tel. +38 (032) , +38 (063) , imperial@mail.lviv.ua Order no. КА from Circulation: 2695 copies. Distributed free of charge.

3 THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION Escalation of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine A new stage of Russian aggression against Ukraine began on 25 November. It is no longer concealed and is done in even a more flagrant manner. The aggressor state once again demonstrated that it has not abandoned its intentions to forcefully annex new territories, and to achieve this aim it is prepared to blatantly breach International law. Фото з сайту ВМФ України WHY MARTIAL LAW HAS BEEN IMPOSED IN UKRAINE In the evening of 25 November, Russian warships assaulted the Ukrainian gunboats Berdiansk and Nikopol, and the harbour tugboat Yani Kapu, all of which belong to the Ukrainian Naval Forces. On that day, Ukrainian vessels were carrying out a planned voyage between Ukrainian ports, from the port of Odesa in the Black Sea to the port of Mariupol in the Azov Sea. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian party informed the Russian party in advance of its intention according to International law, the passage through the Kerch Strait was obstructed. Furthermore, Russian aircrafts and helicopters took off, and the Russian border ship Don rammed the Ukrainian tugboat. Realising that they would not be able to transit the Kerch Strait, the Ukrainian vessels turned back to Odesa. The Russian ships immediately began pursuing them, threatening to use arms and demanding them to stop. The Ukrainian crews refused to comply with this unlawful order issued by the military of another state, after which the Russian ships opened fire to kill. This assault took place in neutral waters. As a result of this attack, six Ukrainian navy personnel were wounded. The small armoured artillery boat Berdiansk became uncontrollable and, together with the Yani Kapu, was towed to the Crimean port of Kerch which is controlled by the Russian occupying power. The boat Nikopol was besieged and, encircled by the Russian ships, was also forced to lay a course for Crimea. 23 crew members of the Ukrainian vessels were taken hostage by the Russians. On the night of 26 November, an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine was convened, and it adopted a decision on the urgency of instituting a martial law status in Ukraine. In view of a further act of armed aggression by the Russian Federation, and other aggressive actions by the Russian Federation in the Azov and Black Seas, the existing threat of an all-out invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation is now becoming a reality this is how this need is backed up in the Decision of the NSDC of Ukraine of 26 November Oleksandr Turchynov, the NSDC Secretary, stressed that the actions of Russia against the vessels of the Ukrainian naval forces, and namely the impeding of free navigation in the Kerch Strait, and pursuit, ramming, firing, and seizure, constitute an armed # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 3

4 THE FOCUS OF ATTENTION aggression against Ukraine, falling under Paragraphs c, and d of Article 3 of Resolution (3314) (XXIX) of the UN General Assembly of 14 December As directed by the NSDC, Ukraine s Foreign Ministry called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It also addressed the signatory states of the Memorandum on Security Assurances, adopted in connection with the accession of Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, suggesting that urgent consultations should be organized with regard to the act of military aggression by Russia against Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at its meeting enacted martial law in ten regions of Ukraine bordering the Russian Federation and Transnistria, and also adjoining the Azov Sea, for a 30-day period starting from 2pm on 26 November. THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: INTELLIGENCE REPORTS ON THE EXTREMELY HIGH THREAT OF LAND OPERATION AGAINST UKRAINE The martial law, however, does not mean a declaration of war and unwillingness to find a political and diplomatic resolution to the conflict in the East; it is imposed with the sole purpose of enhancing the defensive actions, as the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, stated in his address to the Ukrainian nation. He also informed the global community of the relevant facts. It is, for a fifth year, that Russia is waging a hybrid war against our nation. However, by attacking Ukrainian military boats, it has escalated its aggression to a new level. No-one will now say: They are not there. No-one will disguise themselves as green humanoids or militants. This is a reckless and barefaced involvement by regular units of the Russian Federation, their demonstrative assault of a unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated Petro Poroshenko, He also said, that according to Ukrainian intelligence reports, there now exists an extremely high threat of a ground operation against Ukraine. I have these intelligence documents in my hands a detailed description of all the enemy s forces that are located only around a few dozens kilometres from our border, and ready for an immediate invasion of Ukraine at any moment, Petro Poroshenko said in his address. The likelihood of an attack in Ukraine by Russia was also stressed by Volodmyr Yelchenko, The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations. According to the intelligence data we have, there is, without a doubt, a clear threat of the invasion and capture of Mariupol and Berdiansk, the Ukrainian diplomat stated. UKRAINE CALLS ON THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO OFFER A SPEEDY RESPONSE TO INCREASE THE PRESSURE ON THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION At the emergency sitting of the UN Security Council, convened on 26 November to Акція протесту проти російської агресії у Маріуполі Фото з сайту ВМФ України discuss the Russian aggression against Ukraine in the Black and Azov Seas, Volodymyr Yelchenko, The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, urged the global community to offer a quick and efficient response. The dramatic escalation of the situation in the region needs a prompt response from the international community. These events are another testament to the relevance of the UNGA draft resolution, prepared by Ukraine and a group of like-minded states, regarding the issue of militarisation of Crimea and the Black and Azov Seas, Volodymyr Yelchenko emphasized. He also called on the international community to implement a new set of sanctions against Russia. If unopposed, Kremlin regime will take another and another aggressive act creating even wider conflict in the region, stated the Ukrainian diplomat. Increased political pressure on Moscow would contribute to the de-escalation of the security situation on the sea, and the unblocking of the free crossing of the Kerch-Yenikale Canal. NATO affirmed that there is no justification for Russia s use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel. We call on Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors and ships it seized, without delay. We call for calm and restraint, says the official statement the North Atlantic Council made on 27 November following the events in the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait. Due to the threat of new attacks, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko urged NATO member countries to relocate warships to the Azov Sea. He once again warned that the Russian naval aggression threatens security of not only Ukraine, but all Black Sea area countries. 4 CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018

5 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CRIMEA Ukrainian historian Serhiy Hromenko debunks Russian Myths related to Crimea IS THE ANCIENT CHERSONSE THE SEVASTOPOL OF TODAY? A fictitious story concerning the authentic identity of Chersonese ( sacral Korsun ) and Sevastopol plays a role in a specific link that connects the bygone times of the ostensibly eternally Russian Crimea to the factual absolute events of the Crimean war. However, this myth enables its supporters to combine all these events and previous myths into one single believable timeframe, whereas those previously mentioned, i.e. re the baptismal font and the spiritual source, fail to hold their meaning, even if these would unexpectedly turn out to be true. And what is Chersonese? It is Sevastopol. Do you comprehend the link that exists between a spiritual source and a statehood component, meaning the struggle for this area: for Crimea as a whole, and for Sevastopol, and for Chersonese? The Russian people has in fact, throughout many centuries, struggled to stand firm and take up a position near to its historical and spiritual baptismal font. V. Putin. A meeting with young scholars and history teachers [transcript], 5 November 2014 In reality, the only scientific criterion for the succession of cities is a continuous development determined by continuous population. If understood in this way, the Rome of today is the city founded by Romulus, whereas Istanbul can be attributed to the Greek Byzantium, a direct predecessor of Constantinople. The ancient Greek Chersonese was founded in 529/8 B.C. (more precisely, it was an anchorage that came into being a long ago, and which subsequently grew into a trading post and later on into a municipality). Throughout ancient times and the early Middle Ages, it remained as the only city in Crimea never to be seized by enemies (apart from the somewhat questionable episode concerning Prince Volodymyr in 989). However, at the end of the 14th c, the invading horde struck a harsh blow on Chersonese, from which the city never recovered. The Genoese, succeeded by the Turks, and finally the Russians, only had to dismantle the surviving city buildings. Sevastopol instead, according to the Order of Catherine II of 21 (10) February 1784, had to be built up on today s site of Akhtiyar ( the village of Ak-Yar, White Shore), and the Manifest of Free Trade in the Cities of Chiron, Sevastopol, and Feodosia issued on the following day stated: Sevastopol, previously known as Ak-Yar. Those travellers visiting Sevastopol in the first half of the 19th c had to move 5 versts (more than 5 kms) away from the city in order to take in the view of the ruins left from Chersonese. Incidentally, Karantinny Bay, dividing the ancient city ruins from the Imperial Sevastopol, also testifies to the chasm between the two cities. It received its name based on its function, i.e. the quarantine control against viral diseases in foreign ship crews. Such a territory obviously could not be located anywhere else other than the outskirts of the then Sevastopol, with Chersonese being situated even further away. There was not even a single plan drawn up between the end of the 18th c and the mid. 20th c (including a German plan of 1942) showing Chersonese as being within the Sevastopol boundaries! It was only in the second half of the 20th c that the new city absorbed the remains of the ancient one. Thus, there is nothing in common between the ancient Chersonese and the contemporary Sevastopol, apart from their geographical surroundings. It is unscientific to assume that one city can be linked to the other. This can be compared to researching into a relationship between Simferopol and the Palaeolithic site inside the Chokurcha Cave, located within the present day city. # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 5

6 HOT TOPIC The Occupation and the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar People: what is next? A conference bringing together delegates of the Kurultai, the highest representative body of the Crimean Tatar people, was held on 12 November in Kyiv - for the first time in exile. On 27 October 2018, the Kurultai of Crimean Muslims convened in Crimea, which some of the Russian media, either through a lack of understanding or intentionally, referred to as the Kurultai of Crimean Tatar people. THE KURULTAI OF CRIMEAN TATAR PEOPLE: FORCED CHANGES Since time immemorial, many Muslims would decide on the most important matters at the Kurultai, i.e. their General Assembly. Crimean Tatars have their Kurultai too. The National Assembly was first convened in A long interval then followed, caused by the deportation. After Ukraine became independent and the period of deportation ended for Crimean Tatars, their highest representative body the Kurultai of Crimean Tatar people renewed its work. From 1991 it has been convened regularly. Sequentially, the 6th Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people had to convene in December According to Refat Chubarov, the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, it had to hand over its authorities to the newly elected delegates of the National Assembly. A new membership of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people an executive body operating in between Kurultai sessions had also to be elected at the December session of the Kurultai. The major task of the Mejlis is bringing to life the decisions of the highest representative body and addressing current issues and problems faced by the Crimean Tatar people. Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people was traditionally convened in their historical motherland, i.e. Crimea. However, following the occupation of the peninsula by the Russian Federation, it became impossible to convene in Crimea. It also became impossible to hold new elections. One of reasons for this is that the occupying country banned the Mejlis the Executive Body of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatars, Crimea s indigenous people in Crimea. It was therefore decided to extend the authorities of the Kurultai delegates and members of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people, elected in the autumn of 2013, and convene a regular session of the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people in Kyiv. This session was fixed for 12 November The total number of elected delegates of the Kurultai is 248. At least 166 delegates, making up two thirds of the total membership, were required to attend for the session to be opened. However, these plans were modified by the occupation of Crimea. Only 76 delegates were able to take part in the Assembly in Kyiv. Some of the members were unable to reach Kyiv from the occupied peninsula due to difficulties in travelling, or from fear of prosecution by the occupying authorities. Some of them compromised themselves by cooperating with the occupying authorities in Crimea acting against the decisions previously taken by the Kurultai and Mejlis, and therefore realized that their presence at the Kurultai session would be unwanted. Six of the Kurultai delegates have since passed 6 CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018

7 HOT TOPIC away. One of the delegates, Ervin Ibragimov, was abducted by the Russian authorities and has not yet been found. Due to the lack of a quorum, it was decided to hold a conference instead of a session of the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people. A conference cannot adopt decisions, it can only issue statements, recounts Nariman Dzhelialov, Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis, who was a Kurultai delegate. One of these statements was related to the authorities of the acting Kurultai. We explained in this statement that no new election to the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people is possible in the current circumstances. Thus, according to Clause 5.5 of our Kurultai Statutes, the authorities of the acting membership of the Kurultai and Mejlis are valid until the next election is held and newly elected deputies come together to hold their first session. Due to the occupation, the authorities of the acting membership of the representative bodies of Crimean Tatar people have been extended, says Nariman Dzhelialov. Another statement adopted at the conference of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatar people substantiated the necessity to make amendments to the Kurultai and Mejlis Statutes with regard to the authorities of these bodies under occupation. Under current circumstances we have a very limited opportunity to carry out the procedures set out in the Kurultai and Mejlis Statutes, Nariman Dzhelialov explains. We, for instance, cannot exclude from the Kurultai of Mejlis membership those persons who have compromised themselves by their actions, or violate our principles and decisions. Therefore, the conference tasked the Mejlis with preparing draft amendments to the Kurultai and Mejlis Statutes, to make these procedures easier. According to the decision adopted at the conference, the Mejlis has to prepare and submit amendments to the Statutes before 15 January These amendments will take effect after they have been supported by the personal signatures of at least one half of all the delegates of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatar people. One of the most topical matters at the conference was the issue of the expulsion from the Mejlis of those members who are cooperating with the occupying authorities. It was not for the first time that such calls to expel them from the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people were made, however the existing procedures do not allow us to take such decisions. We have also issued a statement regarding those delegates who, in our view, acted in bad faith, having violated the principles and the declared vision of the Kurultai and Mejlis. We cannot expel them, but nevertheless we have informed them in our statement of our attitude towards them. We declared that these persons, as a result of their behaviour, have now left our ranks, notes Nariman Dzhelialov. THE KURULTAI OF MUSLIMS IN CRIMEA IS A RELIGIOUS MEETING THAT DOES NOT SHUN COOPERATION WITH THE OCCUPYING POWER The sixth Kurultai of Crimean Muslims was held on 27 October in Simferopol. Despite the similar name of these assemblies, these are different structures. The Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people is, so to say, a secular organisation managing public, daily life, and political issues faced by Crimean Tatar people. At a session of the Kurultai of Crimean Tatar people, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people is elected. The Kurultai of Crimean Muslims is a religious assembly. This is a convention of the representatives of Islamic religious organisations and communities in Crimea, bringing together people of different nationalities. The Kurultai of Crimean Muslims elects the highest cleric, i.e. the Mufti of Crimea. Secular authorities have the right to adopt decisions on behalf of Crimean Tatar people, whereas a religious assembly only has to take care of spiritual issues. Unlike the Kurultai of Crimean Tatars, who advocates the territorial integrity of Ukraine and does not recognise the occupation of Crimea, the Kurultai of Crimean Muslims and the Muftiate (Spiritual administration of Crimea) work together with the occupying power of the peninsula. The so-called Leader of the Republic, Sergei Aksionov, was one of the honoured guests of the Kurultai of Crimean Muslims. Taking advantage of the ban of the Mejlis in the peninsula, and with it being impossible to convene the Kurultai of Crimean Tatar people, the religious Kurultai has, among others, raised the matter of the transferral of property belonging to the Mejlis into the ownership or use by the Spiritual Administration of Crimea. # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 7

8 POSITION Andriy Deshchytsia: Russia is using the OSCE Meeting to legitimise the occupying power in Crimea Andriy Deshchytsia, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Poland, described the attitude of the Republic of Poland to the Russian occupation of Crimea, Polish initiatives, and the subsequent actions by the Ukrainian government, in particular those in Poland, to ensure that those issues relating to the occupied peninsula are continuously brought to the forefront, and pushed high up on the agenda. Mister Ambassador, what is Poland s official stance with regard to the occupation of Crimea by Russia? Poland s official stance has not changed since the beginning of the Russian aggression and occupation of Crimea. It has remained the same during both the previous Polish government, and also throughout the current one that has been in power since This stance is that Poland does not recognise the annexation of Crimea by Russia, but instead recognises Ukraine within Internationally recognised borders, including Crimea. How do the political processes in Poland, and problems in the relationships between Warsaw and Brussels, affect Poland s attitude regarding the sanctions that the European Union has imposed against Russia? Internal political processes in Poland and Poland-EU relations have no impact on the issue that is important for us: the extension of sanctions against Russia for the occupation of Crimea and the Russian military presence in Donbas. Moreover, Poland has even initiated the extension of such sanctions by the EU, and the prolonging of them for up to one year. A two-day OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting was recently held in Warsaw. What discrepancies and conflict situations with regard to Crimea took place during this meeting? Russia used this OSCE event as a platform to make attempts to legitimise the Russian occupying power in Crimea. We, the official Ukrainian delegation, were forced to sit at the same table with the representatives of so-called civic organisation, which Russia tried to introduce at the meeting as official representatives of Crimea. We are completely against such an interpretation. I therefore consider that we should thor- 8 CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018

9 POSITION oughly re-evaluate our approach to participation in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. The problem is that around half of the participants from Russia receive Polish entry visas, despite being on the list of persons banned by the EU from entering into the territory of its member states. We must therefore analyse if we should even maintain a dialogue with those individuals who deliberately substitute notions and use all means possible to deceive both Poland and the global community, including the OSCE. We must respond to this activity by the Russian party by taking the necessary and relevant steps, at the level of Ukrainian NGOs, that will provide the applicable clarifications, and engage in discussion with them. Ukrainian official representatives should not have to do this. This means that prior to the next OSCE Warsaw Meeting, Ukraine will adopt the following stance: that the so-called official persons coming from Crimea are unwanted in Warsaw Their presence is unwanted, and we must stress this to the Polish officials, and also to those in Vienna where the principal office of this organisation is located. We must strive to maintain negative dialogue with them at an official level. However, the human dimension is also of great importance, and those issues appertaining to the rights of Ukrainian nationals living in occupied Crimea, the rights of Crimean Tatars, and crimes by the occupying authorities, must be retained on the agenda of the OSCE s Annual Human Dimensions Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. How strong is the influence of Russian propaganda in Poland with respect to Crimean issues? I believe that the Russian propaganda carries no notable influence in Poland. Such propaganda certainly exists with its influential agents and institutions used by Russia to push forward its policy. Nevertheless, Poland is on the alert to prevent Russian propaganda from making any significant impact. What is Russian propaganda focusing on? It is focusing on turning Ukraine and Poland against one another, employing different versions of the historical memory, and ramping up, in this context, the so-called Ukrainian/Polish animosity. Various radical organisations influenced or funded by them are engaged in these activities. What activities does the Ukrainian Embassy in Poland carry out to explain the situation in the occupied Crimea? First of all we continuously inform our Polish partners as to the current events in Crimea, and urge them to push the issue regarding the occupied peninsula as an important item on the agenda of international organisations. We assist in organising meetings with the leaders of the Crimean Tatar people with Polish officials. We support activities of Crimean Tatar organisations, and hold events ourselves related to the history and life of Crimean Tatars and the history of Crimea as a part of Ukraine. We have also launched a mechanism for consultation with Poland on Crimea deoccupation issues. Poland is in fact the first country with which we have started such a cooperation at the level of Foreign Ministries. We also contribute to the dissemination and spreading of information related to the legal aspects of the occupation and annexation of Crimea. With assistance from Poland s Foreign Ministry we recently published a book describing our activities, and it has been presented in Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv. The decision to award Oleh Sentsov with the Polish Foreign Ministry s medal For Human Dignity, announced recently by Poland s Foreign Minister, Jacek Czaputowicz, is an important gesture by the Polish party that will be instrumental to attracting more attention from the International community to the problem of the occupation of Crimea and Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia. Who is the Embassy s audience in this context, and how strong is the interest within Poland to those events dedicated to Crimea? These steps are aimed at supporting the Crimean Tatars here in Poland, and their efforts and struggle to return Crimea back to Ukraine. They also address the Polish society and International community, in order to maintain the Crimean issue high up on the agenda. There are countless politicians and public figures in Poland who know and understand Crimea, and who have implemented various projects in the peninsula prior to its takeover by Russia. They, of course, are actively involved in these events. However, we should strengthen our joint efforts so that the Crimean issue does not disappear from the agenda. People are gradually getting used to the idea that Crimea has allegedly been returned to Russia. It is imperative that we should take much more active and stronger steps to increase pressure on the International community, and suggest that the sanctions against Russia are extended as it has violated International law. We cannot ease the pressure until the Ukrainian borders are restored and those persons that have violated International law are held to account. In this respect, we are grateful to the Republic of Poland for their consistent help as co-author of several key resolutions of the UN General Assembly concerning the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the condemnation of Russian aggression, etc. A further resolution is currently underway, with Poland also being one of its authors. Yuri Banakhevych, Ukrinform, Warsaw # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 9

10 THE TERRITORY OF DISCRIMINATION Seiran Saliev. Arrested for the love of his people Not much time has passed since we have been apart, but it seems to me that this has been going on for long years My childhood is over. Daddy! I am missing you very much. When I see parents hugging other children and playing with them, teaching them important things And I I am alone! I have such an emptiness in my heart. I could cry like a small child, but I am not crying, Daddy. I am suffering in silence. For I am a man. I am your support. The author of these lines, Salikh Saliev, is eleven years old. Furthermore, he is indeed the oldest male in the family and his mother s only support. Together with his sister, the eight-year-old Samie, he helps to keep the house in good order and take care of the younger children: five-year old Surie and Safia who is only 18 months old. Salikh believes that his father Seiran such a strong, kind, and good man will soon return home. For there must be justice in this world! The quest for justice, compassion and caring about someone else s misfortunes these are actually the crimes for which in October 2017 the occupying power arrested Seiran Saliev, a 32-year old father of four. These qualities Seiran had literally absorbed with his mother s milk, his mother, Zodie Salieva, being a veteran of the National Movement of the Crimean Tatar People. The Saliev family recount that Seiran undertook his first protest action when he was only seven months old. His parents had been deported at that time, and living in the city of Abinsk in the Krasnodar Territory (Russia). A group of Crimean Tatar National Movement activists went to the Municipal Procurator s Office to express their protest against the materials published in the local press, aimed at discrediting the Crimean Tatar people. Zodie, holding little Seiran in her arms, was among these activists. Shortly afterwards, the feasible reasons for arrests became much scarcer: the Crimean Tatar people returned back to their land, and a time of appeasement followed. Seiran finished school in Crimea and entered university. He was keenly committed to sporting activities - küeş, Crimean Tatar national wrestling, and acted as chief judge at competitions. Seiran is a multi-tasking and outgoing person. In summer he would organise and lead tours across Crimea for tourists. He helped to raise funds for sick 10 CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018

11 THE TERRITORY OF DISCRIMINATION children, and was involved in organising our Islamic festivals on a voluntary basis. His friends referred to him as a minister for youth affairs, because all the teenagers would go to him with their problems. He always found the right way to help them, and was able to support them and provide as much help as was possible. The local children would wait for him in the yard as he was returning home, knowing that he never came back empty-handed and would never pass by them, recounts Seiran s wife, Mumine. Seiran met Mumine when they were both studying at university. Being a top student and also a beauty, she at once won the young man s heart. Deeply religious, and brought up in the spirit of respect towards the history of their people, Seiran and Mumine did their best to bring up their children in the same spirit. When Russia occupied Crimea they did not forsake their principles. Me and my husband led an active life, were involved in the issues that were of concern to our people, and never stood idly by. So, when geopolitical changes took place, we realised that our family could also become a target of persecution. Anyone who refrains from remaining silent and takes a direct stance will be the first to enter into the risk zone. We were prepared for everything, recounts Mumine. Their apprehensions, or, more precisely, the assessment of the reality, proved to be correct. The first encounter of the Saliev family with the occupying power occurred in May In the morning, Seiran went to the mosque and learned that searches had taken place in the houses of many Crimean Tatar activists. Seiran could not remain silent, so he picked up a microphone and told the community about this. This action was enough to warrant an official visit some time later. Seiran was convicted of organising an unsanctioned rally and fined an amount equivalent to 20 tax-free minimum incomes. A little over 6 months later, armed men turned up at Saliev s house. This time, the reason for their visit was so-called extremist posts by Seiran on social media. A repost of a song by the Chechen bard Timur Mutsuraev was considered as such. In reality, the Saliev family think that this was a further warning. The occupation regime was afraid of Seiran s influence among the Bakhchisarai youth, and believed that his arrest would force him to agree to cooperate with the authorities. However, their expectations were not justified. Seiran left the temporary detention facility, after 12-day incarceration, as a true hero of the people. A crowd of locals gathered in the yard of his house to meet him. Seiran made it clear to the invaders that he was never going to give up his principles and betray his people. He continued calling for the release of those Crimean Tatars who had been arrested and sentenced by the occupation regime. As a result, the so-called power resorted to extreme measures. On 12 October 2017, the Russian FSB arrested six residents of Bakhchisarai: Seiran Saliev, Timur Ibragimov, Marlen (Suleiman) Asanov, Memet Belialov, Server Zekiriayev, and Ernes Ametov. A further search was undertaken in the house of Seiran Saliev. As his relatives recollect, these people were looking for banned literature, but they could not find anything. Those who were conducting the search kept repeating: ISIS. And then I heard one of them saying: OK, if you find no connection with ISIS, then look at least for one with Hizb ut Tahrir. For Seiran s relatives, the absence of any grounds for convictions in extremist and terrorist activities is evident. What Seiran only aspired to and struggled for is the freedom for our people on its land, with no unfairly sentenced people. This is his sole guilt. So then, for this he is now facing 20- year imprisonment, says Mumine. Being left with four small children for whose care she is responsible, Mumine set up a Crimean Childhood initiative. Its members see their task as supporting the hundreds of children of Crimean political prisoners. Children, who have been turned into orphans by the invaders, and yet who have living parents. Children whose childhood has come to the end. I used to believe that heroes exist only in fairytales and cartoon films, and also in movies. But when my Dad was taken away by those monstrous people, and he was still smiling and even showing no fear of their weapons and their dogs, I saw a hero. Now everyone knows about him. They keep coming to speak to us. I do not know them, but they say only very kind things about Dad. They say that he cares about his religion deeply. He loves Crimea, and therefore would not ever want to live in any other place. They say that he loves his people, and that he is one of the best sons of the Crimean Tatar people. He is a hero to me, and therefore I also do not allow myself to cry. These now are the lines from an essay by Seiran s young daughter the eight-yearold Samie Salieva. Samie was a prize winner of the competition My father is a hero held by the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people for the children of political prisoners. Samie was awarded a valuable prize for this work. However, the most valuable prize for her will be the release of her father, for which she, her brother, sisters and mother have been waiting for over a year. # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 11

12 DETAILS AND TRENDS Andriy Shchekun: We had no tanks with which to protect Crimeans. Words, actions, and our team spirit were our weapons Andriy, please tell us how the Euromaidan-Crimea movement came into being? It was young activists from various NGOs and political parties who primarily organised the movement. We had extremely pro-active young people who regularly staged various flash mobs re Eurointegration issues. Involved in staging them were students of the Tavrida National University and other Crimean universities. Our first Crimean public action under the motto I chose the EU was held on 24 November 2013, near the building of the Council of Ministers of Crimea. It marked the beginning, as our rallies became a regular occurrence starting from that date, and they spread to other Crimean cities. I can categorically say that I cannot remember any rallies as strong as these in Andriy Stepanovych Shchekun is a Ukrainian journalist and public figure. In 2011 he took up the position of the Chairman of the civic organisation designated as The Ukrainian House Crimean Centre for Business and Cultural Cooperation. In the autumn of 2014, he was one of the many coordinators of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement that carried out actions to support the European vector in the development of Ukrainian politics, and against the dictatorship and abuse of the power by law enforcement agencies. At the beginning of the occupation of the peninsula he endured persecution through his pro-ukrainian stance. He was held captive by the invaders for 11 days. support of Ukraine and the territorial integrity of the State taking place in all of the 23 years since Independence in At weekends, our rallies would bring together between 1,500 and 2,000 supporters. There were three dominating components of our actions: the State Flag of Ukraine, and the flags of the European Union and Crimean Tatar people. They duly demonstrated our unity around of our ideals and our struggle this is why we were heard and supported by the majority. 12 CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018

13 DETAILS AND TRENDS The Euromaidan movement was spreading across Crimean cities. How did the government respond to this? Did you experience any pressure? Provocations against the movement took place all the time, and were precisely planned and organised in advance by pro-russian forces, local authorities and the Party of Regions that was at that time actually in power. We experienced the greatest pressure after the active stage of resistance had begun in mid December 2013 and in January Our tyres were slashed and our cars were damaged, and the police persecuted our activists attempting to leave for Kyiv to support the Maidan. Those rallies that we organised in the central squares of Simferopol were always accompanied by provocations. Such organisations as the Russian Bloc, The People s Liberation Movement, the Communist Party, the Party of Regions, and other pro-russian formations were campaigning against us. During one of these actions we spent two hours totally closed in; we were encircled by around 300 pro-russian radicals, and our force at that time was less than one hundred. It was only thanks to the police, that no physical clashes occurred. How did it occur that the victory of Euromaidan in Kyiv triggered the occupation of Crimea? Did your movement continue its struggle? Yes of course, when the little green men arrived, we, as the Euromaidan-Crimea Movement coordinators, had to adopt fundamental decisions as to our next steps. We focused on the consolidation of Crimeans in the struggle for the territorial integrity of the country. We then strived to show to the whole world that that there are those people in Crimea who aspire for peace, and demand that Russia s military forces are removed from Ukraine. We had no tanks with which to protect Crimeans. Words, actions, and our team spirit were our weapons. The number of those participating in our rallies kept growing, and actions in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and our Statehood erupted across Crimea What was the outcome of these confrontations, both for those participants of the resistance to the occupation and for you personally? All active participants of the movement and their families had to leave the peninsula. On 9 March 2014, two hours prior to the beginning of an event to celebrate the 200th birthday of Taras Shevchenko, Anatoliy Kovalskyy (one of Euromaidan coordinators in Crimea editor s note) and I were seized by pro-russian activists. We had just arrived at Simferopol railway station to receive Ukraine s national symbols that had been delivered to us from Kyiv. In fact, after we were kidnapped, all public activities of the civil society within the peninsula stopped. Due to my arrest, many activists realised that it would be increasingly difficult, and also dangerous, to hold any public events. We had no protection. There was still an opportunity, however, for the activists to leave without further delay in order to save their lives (as people were being kidnapped en masse at that time), and escape from such torture and suffering that we endured during our 11 days of confinement following our capture. After the unlawful referendum was held in Crimea, and the peninsula was annexed by Russia, experts began to say that the takeover of the Ukrainian peninsula by Russia had been, so to say, predictable. Do you agree with this assertion? Everyone said this, in all echelons of power, as well as in public. However, no-one did anything at the government level to counteract all the Russia propaganda. Pro-Russian forces in Crimea were lavishly funded by Russia throughout all the years of Ukrainian independence. Russia had never accepted the loss of Crimea, and over the years kept investing money to keep Crimea under control. This was evident to everyone. Such a danger would loom up on many occasions. One of the final ones was during the Orange Revolution in 2004/5. An attempt to forcibly seize the peninsula was undertaken at that time also, but their plan went awry most probably, at that time the Crimean authorities were not totally loyal to the pro-russian forces. Also, the senior officials at the President s Permanent Mission to the AR of Crimea, the Council of Ministers of the AR of Crimea, and the majority of the members of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea, were not at that point totally dependent on the Russian intelligence services. This played a significant role during this time, and also Russia was not 100% ready to seize Crimea. Nevertheless, this was a forewarning. We had to reflect on this and take the necessary resolute steps to make completely sure that such actions by foreign intelligence services would be impossible in the future. Russia, without a doubt, did not stop, and continued to pursue its information policy. This was reflected in the domination of the Russian language media., and in the educational domain. Only 7 schools with instruction in the Ukrainian language functioned in Crimea during the independence period, versus over 500 of those with instruction in the Russian language. All this was taking place at a time when there was stiff competition for entry into the Simferopol Ukrainian Language Gymnasium: with seven candidates applying for one place. Schools and Ukrainian language classes were only organised thanks to the initiatives of the community, and the constant struggle between the parents and those local officials who were impeding this process. Nor did Russia leave the religious life in the peninsula alone. For example, the Novorossia newspaper, actively promoting the imperial demands of Russia, was disseminated via the Ukrainian Orthodox church of the Moscow Patriarchate. A very large number of NGOs operated in the peninsula, carrying out their obscene and aggressive propaganda, all the time hiding behind the support of Russian culture. We were discussing this, addressing the law enforcement agencies, but they would not listen to us. # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 13

14 HISTORY AND CULTURE Rustem Skybin: Everything created by the Crimean Tatars, following the first annexation of Crimea by Tsarist Russia, was attributed as non-crimean Tatar Crimean Tatar pottery belongs to the most ancient and, at the same time, the least studied examples of National art. Archaeological excavations uncovered pottery kilns dating back to the 8th/9th cc. The ornamental patterns of ancient pottery pieces confirm the fact that it is the Crimean Tatars who are the ingenious people in Crimea. At the same time, art historians say that Crimean Tatar pottery, as the historical heritage and art of Crimean Tatars, has not yet been comprehensively studied and catalogued in a systematic manner. One of reasons for this is that Russian historians, during various periods, were eager to diminish the role of the Crimean Tatar people in the history of Crimea. It was not before these people returned to their historical homeland after deportation that the first attempts at compiling, classifying and describing the cultural heritage of Crimean Tatars were undertaken. Sadly, the Russian occupation interrupted this work once again or, at least, made it extremely difficult. Many craftsmen, scholars, and enthusiasts striving to fill the gaps in the history of culture of the Crimean Tatar people were forced to leave the occupied peninsula. Rustem Skybin is a Crimean Tatar artist and pottery designer, who for four years demonstrated his skills in the position of Chief Artist at the Tavrika pottery enterprise in Simferopol. 14 CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018

15 HISTORY AND CULTURE Rustem, you are an artist by profession. How have you been drawn to Crimean Tatar pottery? Yes, I graduated from the Samarkand Art School, and shortly afterwards my family returned to Crimea. I immediately became employed with the Tavrika-K enterprise in Simferopol as a chief artist. It was there that I mastered the various technical processes and techniques. In 2000, I met with Mamut Churlu. He is a highly respected professional, a knowledgeable expert in Crimean Tatar culture, and also my teacher and mentor. It was he who enlightened me regarding Crimean Tatar ornamentation. Before this, I knew nothing at all about Crimean Tatar arts and crafts, and after meeting him for the first time I became deeply engaged in applied art, folklore, history, and the culture of our people. When describing their National ornamentation, Crimean Tatars commonly state that it is based on flora, whereas you also have use a geometric pattern, images from fauna, and other items. It cannot be said that Crimean Tatar ornament is restricted to vegetation patterns. The language and semantics of Crimean Tatar ornament are very versatile, starting from calligraphy and ending with animalia art. Ornaments on arms are one thing, those on headstones are something quite different, whereas those on household items (embroidery, tableware) is different again. Yes, vegetation symbols are the better known and very popular. However, many unknown and poorly studied aspects remain here. For example, a rose, depending on context, can represent a woman, motherhood, love, or care. Animal patterns are present in the National decorative art of Crimean Tatars, with one and the same image having different meanings, again depending on the context. For example, a rooster is used in a wedding ritual. The latter means a union of a man and woman, and also a circumcision ritual for a boy. We call this ritual toy (wedding), and among its symbols is a rooster with his beak slightly cut off. Another example is that of a young ram. This is a sacrificial animal connected to the Kurban Bayram Islamic Festival. I interpret this image as a symbol of doom, absolute obedience, and belief in the Almighty. Many images met in folklore have not yet been revealed in the decorative arts, but it does not imply their absence, which can be explained by the fact that many patterns have been lost. Also, we face the problem that everything that was created by the Crimean Tatars, starting from the first annexation of Crimea by Russia in the 18th century and until now, was re-annotated and attributed as non Crimean Tatar. For example, Crimean Tatars already existed during the Crimean Khanate period, whereas in all the relevant literature many items dating back to a later period were annotated as belonging to the Gold Horde: pottery, embroidery etc. During the Soviet period, we often come across such names as Tatar, Ottoman, or Turkish. A Crimean Tatar sabre, for instance, is presented in collections as Ottoman. There are only a few of our native experts who are knowledgeable on this subject. The Crimean Tatars, as a people, who would have been expected to deal with their own historiography, in fact had no access to it. In deportation, they faced all manner of hindrances. As concerns pottery, there are no scientific works in existence that describe Crimean Tatar pottery and refer to it as precisely Crimean Tatar. You mentioned the task of the restoration of historical justice as one of your major tasks. What have you already succeeded in doing to this end? We are currently trying to study the pottery ordonnance its types and intended use. We are collecting artefacts, as the more of them we are able to amass, the easier it will be to describe and attribute them, and trace their influence, and formation processes. We are trying to revive processes. We are also researching the derivation of names. This is what will assist us in proving the Crimean Tatar origin. Shapes, decoration, and techniques are employed in collecting these items. For example, I have written an article about the quman a special pot for ablutions. This is an item which can be used to show the self-identification of the people, its culture, everyday life, medicine, and language. You often take part in exhibitions and conduct master classes for children. Is their audience made up of your compatriots? Is your goal to educate the world about the Crimean Tatar culture this way? I organise and hold pottery making and ornamentation master classes for all children, and not only Crimean Tatars. This is because we all live in Ukraine together. I think it is important for all our peoples to learn about one another. Problems stem from a lack of knowledge about our neighbours. This leads to apprehension, followed by distrust. Thus, once we have become familiar with other peoples, no-one should, in a barbarian manner, lay claim to, appropriate, or damage the achievements of another people, but instead should live in peace and harmony with them. My goal is to get this point across. With regard to the popularisation of the Crimean Tatar culture, we try to reach the most important venues. We hold displays in the exhibition rooms of the European Council and the world s leading museums: in Poland, Canada, Ankara, Beirut, etc. # 10 (17) 2018 / CRIMEA INFORM 15

16 PHOTOFACT The Crimean bridge has started to drift The unlawfully constructed Kerch Strait Bridge is slowly drifting, according to space survey data. The Ministry for Temporarily Occupied Territories and IDPs reports that slow displacement was detected in several critical sections. For example, close to the manmade embankment on the Crimean Peninsula side, structures have been observed that have been subjected to a vertical displacement. The annual rate of this movement is between 89 mm (subsidence) and 52 mm (lifting). In the central section of the Bridge, the railway communication arch is reported to be lifting at a rate up to 30 mm per year. The road traffic arch is sinking at a rate up to 32 mm per year. Two dangerous areas were revealed on Tuzla Island. A section of the shallow spit is settling in at an annual rate of 10 to 90 mm, whereas the structures located near to a bridge section are sinking at an annual rate of 83 mm. According to experts, the vertical fluctuations of the Kerch Strait Bridge arches testify to the inadequate stability conditions of the sea bed in those places where the bridge abutments were installed. These badly affect the Black Sea aquatic area, and are a threat to human life and safety. Harsh weather conditions, particularly during the winter period, and in a seismically unstable region, can additionally aggravate the destabilizing factors impacting the stability of the Kerch Strait Bridge. CRIMEA INFORM / # 10 (17) 2018