Crimean Tatar

Ukraine war: why Crimean Tatar fighters are playing an increasing role in resistance to Russian occupation

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
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A resistance group of Crimean Tatars, an ethnic group native to the Russian-occupied peninsula, is now a prominent player in the Ukraine war.

Key Points: 
  • A resistance group of Crimean Tatars, an ethnic group native to the Russian-occupied peninsula, is now a prominent player in the Ukraine war.
  • The Atesh (fire) movement has pledged to wage an unending war on the Russian invaders of Ukraine.
  • Founded in September 2022, Atesh seeks to disrupt logistics, sabotage key targets, and stoke discontent against – and within – Russian president Vladimir Putin’s army.
  • Atesh’s methods are ruthless, as witnessed by the killing of 30 Russian servicemen in hospitals in Simferopol in November 2022.

Who are the Tatars?

    • Unlike the Slavic Russians, the Crimean Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Crimean peninsula.
    • Under the rule of Joseph Stalin (1924-1953), the Soviet Union engaged in the active repression of the Crimean Tatars.
    • This led to a number of Tatars cooperating with the Germans following the Nazi invasion of June 1941.
    • Stalin accused the Crimean Tatars of treachery and deported the community en masse to the Gulag.
    • Although some Crimean Tatars served with the Axis powers, rather more served in the Red Army.
    • The invasion of Crimea by Russia in 2014 was a disastrous return to the past for the Crimean Tatars.

Freedom House Awards 2022 Mark Palmer Prize to First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Freedom House today awarded the 2022 Mark Palmer Prize to First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova for her support of the Ukrainian people, especially Crimean Tatars, and her leadership against Moscow's aggression. The Mark Palmer Prize, given in honor of the late US ambassador, Freedom House trustee, and foreign policy innovator Mark Palmer, recognizes diplomats and civil servants who have taken bold and creative steps, long demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of democracy and freedom, and gone beyond their normal course of duties to promote democracy and human rights. Dzhaparova will accept the prize remotely today.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Freedom House today awarded the 2022 Mark Palmer Prize to First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova for her support of the Ukrainian people, especially Crimean Tatars, and her leadership against Moscow's aggression.
  • "Throughout her career in public service, Deputy Minister Dzhaparova has championed human rights in Ukraine and stood bravely against Kremlin aggression," said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.
  • Dzhaparova has served as the first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine since June 2020.
  • The Mark Palmer Prize is made possible through the generosity of the Mark and Sushma Palmer Legacy Fund, established by Sushma Palmer in loving memory of her late husband Ambassador Mark Palmer.