Crimean Tatars Research Articles

Russian-occupied Crimea and the state of exception: repression, persecution, and human rights violations

ABSTRACTSince annexing Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Russian authorities there have introduced harsh repressive measures to silence opposition to the ongoing occupation, chiefly targeting the indigenous Crimean Tatars and others pro-Ukrainian individuals. From the legally subversive methods it employed to orchestrate the annexation to the rhetoric of anti-extremism with which it has continually justified its occupation, the Kremlin has inaugurated a new “state of exception” in Crimea, invoking the prerogative to circumvent normative legal and juridical procedures in response to a perceived emergency. While Crimea’s state of exception resembles those initiated elsewhere by some Western states and Russia itself as part of the global War on Terror, the state of exception has provided the pretext for a particularly severe degree of repression, persecution, and human rights violations in occupied Crimea. In conjunction with the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, this article discusses the theoretical groundings of the state of exception, its broader applications within the Russian Federation, and its troubling repercussions for residents of Crimea. Casting the Kremlin’s actions as belonging to a state of exception helps draw attention to its alarming human rights violations, and may bolster resistance to the creeping normalization of the Russian occupation of Crimea.

Етнічне відродження національно-культурних громад в період державної незалежності України: мовний аспект

The article examines the process of revival of national minorities during the period of Ukraine’s independence and describes the ethnic composition of the country’s population. Attention is focused on such manifestation of national-cultural revival as creation and activity of national-cultural unions. The linguistic situation in the national-cultural community environment is considered. It was noticed that information exchange occurs due to intercultural communication as well as mutual enrichment and development of the region ethnocultures.
 According to results of the last population census 37,5 million of Ukrainians (77,8%) and 10,9 million of representatives of about 130 other nationalities (22,2%) lived in Ukraine in 2001. Russians are the biggest national community of the country. Their amount is about 8,3 million people or 17,3% of the whole population of Ukraine. There are different nationalities living in Ukraine and shaping it’s linguistic and cultural diversity. Language is one of the most important features of every nationality or ethnic community, the center of mentality and the way of preserving cultural and historacal experience. Ukrainian language is the only state language in the country. The constitution and laws of Ukraine guarantee development and free usage of other ethnic groups’ languages. Belarusians, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Romanians, Poles and Jews are the biggest ethnic communities in Ukraine (after Russians). Today education is provided in the state language as well as in Bulgarian, Crimean Tatar, Moldovan, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Slovac and Hungarian.
 The dynamics of increasing of national-cultural unions’ activity are observed. Today about 2 thousand of them funcrion at the all-Ukrainian, region and local levels.

TO THE BIOGRAPHY OF AMET OZENBASHLY

The article is devoted to the public and political activity of Amet Ozenbashly who was one of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar national movement in the first half of the XX century. His public activity during the period of the national liberation movement (1917-1920) is characterized in the article. Amet Ozenbashly’s participation in convening and conducting the Constituent Assembly of the Crimean Tatar nation (the first Kurultai), his activity within the Directory and the Central Committee of the Crimean Tatar national party “Milliy Fyrqa” is also emphasized in the work. A. Ozenbashly didn’t immigrate after the defeat of the national revolution. At the beginning of the 1920s he participated in the establishment of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and was the member of its Central Executive Committee. He also held the position of the headmaster in the Crimean pedagogical college, the Deputy People’s Commissar of Finance; he practiced as a neurologist in Simferopil and was engaged in the literature activity. He was repressed in 1928. He was sentenced to death but his verdict was changed to 10 years of imprisonment. He was released from prison prematurely in 1934. A. Ozenbashly’s activity during the period of the German occupation is characterized in the study. He wrote the memorandum about the collaboration with the German although the document was not manifested. He made covert public statements against the collaboration with the German. He urged the Crimean Tatars to choose the third way (neither Hitlerism nor Stalinism) and value their own national interests above all. Because of risk of being arrested he had to hide. According to H. Porokhovsky’s (the former colonel of the UNR army, the leader of the Ukrainian military emigration in Romania, the employee of the Romanian special information service) archive-investigation file A. Ozenbashly moved to Odesa and then to Romania with his assistance. Being in this Balkan country he established linkages with the leaders of the Crimean Tatar emigration in Turkey, helped the refugees from the Crimea to settle in Romania and got ready to move to Istanbul. However he was arrested and repressed by the Soviet intelligence agency for the second time in spring 1945. Key words: Amet Ozenbashly, the Crimea, the Crimean Tatars, Milliy Fyrqa, Romania, Hnat Porokhovsky.

“A Bridge Between Us”: Literature in the Ukrainian-Crimean Tatar Encounter

Abstract At a time of geopolitical instability in the Black Sea region, the question of the solidarity between two ethnically, religiously, and linguistically divergent peoples—Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars—will influence the extent to which Crimea remains a global flashpoint for the foreseeable future. Despite its significance, however, this solidary relationship has been either overlooked as a discrete object of inquiry or dismissed as a mere political “marriage of convenience” in research literature. This article seeks to delve more deeply into the dynamics of Ukrainian–Crimean Tatar relations and to direct special attention to its cultural drivers, particularly in the realm of literature. Representing the first comparative study of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar literatures in the English language, this article posits that works by such prominent figures as Lesia Ukraïnka and Şamil Alâdin have actively engaged in intricate, mutual processes of “nominal metaphorization” since the late nineteenth century. These processes, which center on representations of experiences of victimization, help account not only for the practical and political nature of the Ukrainian–Crimean Tatar alliance, but also for its affective and empathic power.

КРИМСЬКИЙ КОНФЛІКТОГЕННИЙ ВУЗОЛ: КОЛОНІАЛЬНІ ВИМІРИ

The article is devoted to outlining and exploring a number of important stories of the history and present situation of the Crimea. The author turns to the study of Russian colonial policy on the peninsula. This policy resulted in the annihilation of the Crimean Tatar people and the deliberate settlement of Crimea by specific categories of population from "mainland" Russia, and subsequently - from Soviet Ukraine. The colonial pressure of the tsarist authorities was changed after 1917 for a short period with the assertion of Crimean Tatar national communism as a modernizing anti-colonial movement. However, from the second half of the 1930s, colonial policy on the peninsula resumed, and in 1944 it became embodied in the forced deportation of indigenous peoples, especially the Crimean Tatars. Up until the second half of the 1980s, the Kremlin tried not to allow the Crimean Tatars to return to their historical homeland at all. Only at the time of perestroika the authorities of the USSR agreed to allow such a return, but simultaneously tried to dispense it in every possible way. At the same time, the Kremlin launched a special operation aimed at removing Crimea from Ukrainian jurisdiction and securing its status as a Russian colony. Also this attempt failed because of the collapse of the USSR, but the goal remained unchanged; Russia's annexation of Crimea was carried out in 2014. The author analyzes the reasons that enable the Russian propaganda to influence a large part of the Crimean population effectively. The article illustrates the ineffective policy of official Kyiv to minimize the effects of Russian colonialism on the Crimean Peninsula in 1991-2014. The article also examines the newest stage of colonization of Crimea by Russia, which began in 2014. The author concludes that in recent years, new conflicting factors on the Crimean peninsula have been added to the traditional ones, and they all require further special studies.

The Relationship Between Social Identities, Acculturation Strategies and the Psychological Well-Being of Young Russians in Latvia and Crimean Tatars in Crimea

This cross-cultural study examines the role of social identities (ethnic, national and place) and acculturation strategies in the psychological well-being of young ethnic minorities in regions with different policies on minority integration - Russians in Latvia (N=109, age 16-24) and Crimean Tatars in Crimea (N=122, age 17-24). Results revealed the identities that promote psychological well-being of the young generation of these minorities. Ethnic identity predicts self-esteem in both groups and life satisfaction in Crimean Tatar youth. Place identity is positively related to life satisfaction of both groups. The national identity of ethnic minority youth predicts integration in both groups, while integration promotes self-esteem among Russian youth in Latvia only. The findings are discussed taking into account the historical, political and social context of Latvia and Crimea.

Крымские татары на страницах «Мусульманской газеты»: образование, благотворительность, культура

Крымские татары на страницах «Мусульманской газеты»: образование, благотворительность, культура

«Крымское искусство»: о малоизвестных аспектах набеговой деятельности крымских татар и ногайцев

«Крымское искусство»: о малоизвестных аспектах набеговой деятельности крымских татар и ногайцев

The Crimea in the Context of French-Russian Relations in the Age of Napoleon

Among the components of Napoleon’s foreign policy there was an attempt to revive France’s former influence in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. This paper addresses the efforts paid by the emperor and his retinue to collect information on the Crimea and their plans to use this peninsula for the needs of foreign political game. In 1802, Napoleon initiated the treaty with Russia on the Black Sea trade. In 1803, French diplomatist Jean Reuilly visited the Crimea, made a detailed account of it, and suggested to use the peninsula as an outpost for commercial penetration into the inner provinces of Russia and farther to Central Asia. It has been proved that Napoleon changed his “Crimean projects” according to current political situation. In February 1807, trying to establish alliance with the Ottoman Porte, he suggested the Turks his help to win the Crimea back, but in a few years later Napoleon offered Alexander I of Russia the partition of the Porte. On the eve of the invasion into Russia, the retinue of Napoleon discussed the project of making a barrier of restored and French-dependent states on Russian border. One of them should be a Crimean Tartar realm allied to France in its struggle with the Russian Empire. The Russian government’s policy towards the Crimean Tatars during the armed conflicts in 1806–1814 was someway twofold since it did not trust this group of subjects, but the Crimean Tartars kept loyal to Russia, and some of them gain laurels in the Napoleonic wars.

Крымский аспект российско-турецких отношений: факторы «мягкой и жесткой силы»

The Crimean factor plays an important role in Turkey’s relations with Russia as a part of the existing system of checks and balances. The analysis of Turkish endeavors in Crimea allowed the authors to identify the objective pursued by Ankara in the Black Sea region, key strategic directions of Turkish interests, as well as Turkish technologies of soft and hard power. Special attention is given to the interaction between Turkey and Crimean Tatars.

Народное врачевание крымских татар глазами путешественников (вторая половина XIX века)

Народное врачевание крымских татар глазами путешественников (вторая половина XIX века)

Voices from the Camp: phonographic recordings and personal documents of Tatar/Bashkir prisoners of war (1914–1919)

Among the POWs whose songs and spoken texts were captured for various purposes by the scholars directing the early 20th century phonographic projects of imperial Austria and Germany, there were Turkic-speakers from the Russian Empire—Volga and Crimean Tatars, Bashkirs and others. On the German side, these POWs were inmates of the Wünsdorf/Zossen camps south of Berlin. Thanks to their efforts, recorded materials were included in a volume authored by Gotthold Weil in 1930. Along with these traces of their physiological voices, many of the Wünsdorf inmates have also left behind written testimony: diary-like notebooks, booklets containing poems and song-texts, and letters that were intercepted and never reached their authors’ loved ones back home in the Volga-Ural-Steppes region. While the voice recordings were produced at the behest of scholars, the written materials are a genuine proof of their authors’ social voice. Regardless of reconnaissance activity going on in the background of the phonographic project, the inmates felt free enough to keep a record of their everyday life in detention, wrote up part of their experience in war and imprisonment, and noted down various kinds of texts of interest to themselves. There are some intertextual connections between these personal documents, including some of the letters, and materials from the phonographic project. This paper analyses some of the phonographic and written materials in order to shed light on the war experience of the POWs, paying due attention to their own voice(s).

Interethnic and interreligious unity among Crimea college students

The Crimea and Sevastopol are considered to be multinational regions, and within them – especially in the Crimea region – such an issue as interethnic and interreligious accord has been relevant at various points in history. With new subjects having joined the Russian Federation, this issue has not become any less relevant. On the contrary, due to new challenges of the modern world, such as extremism and terrorism, this issue has acquired new aspects. On the one hand, there exists the internal matter of the Crimean Tatars in the Crimea and Sevastopol, which needs to be examined within the context of starting an interethnic and inter-confessional dialog, while on the other hand the presence of external challenges prompts to consider developing interethnic and inter-confessional accord among the youth, primarily among college students, them being the most well-organized youth group. In light of this fact, the study conducted in 2017-2019 with financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research within the framework of research project number 17-06-00440/19 and titled “Interethnic and interreligious unity among Crimea and Sevastopol college students: monitoring and analyzing the development level” allows to determine mechanisms for achieving such unity. According to the authors of this work, interethnic unity includes ethnic attitudes, willingness to partake in interethnic contact, which, among other things, develops national and territorial identity. The value component was examined during the course of empirical analysis: traditional values are in fact present in students’ consciousness; professional growth and self-fulfillment were identified as being important, while values attributed to general religious and ethnic interests were deemed insignificant. Also observed were deviations in the process of identity development among young Ukrainians. Observed within this youth group was a low degree of satisfaction with social provisions, the importance of such values as freedom, independence and religious unity; they feel that they belong to their own Ukrainian culture, which differs from Russian culture; for the most part Ukrainians assume that the Russian government cannot effectively protect their sovereignty. The results of this study allowed for determining the structural elements of interethnic and inter-confessional unity within various ethnic youth groups, with regards to components of young people’s national, territorial and cultural identity. The process of developing interethnic and inter-confessional unity within various ethnic groups of Crimea’s youth should be based on principles of regional patriotism, on creating common cultural codes, developing a positive image of Russia, enhancing young people’s economic and social standing, creating opportunity for professional growth together with social lifts, consolidating young people based on generational interests aimed at self-expression and self-fulfillment.

Мотив возвращения как национальная идея в рамках бинарной оппозиции «изгнание – возвращение» в дискурсе крымской прозы

In an article in the context of binary opposition “exile-return” to the discourse of the Crimean prose the national idea of the Crimean Tatars, fueled by unbreakable faith and being given with sense from the standpoint of religious and national consciousness, requiring efforts will in the fight in which archetypes, timeless images, binary oppositions and universals exist in the human mind, and hence intelligible to humanity in the true sense cyclically reproduced, is artistically, conceptually metaphorically revealed.

The Firm Friendship: Turkish–Ukrainian Cooperation

The article examines the cooperation of Turkey and Ukraine and its future prospects. It is mentioned that Turkey defined Ukraine as a top-priority partner in 2003, and in 2011, this concept was transformed into a strategic partnership. It is noted that trade turnover between the two countries currently stands at $4,1 billion. However, a larger volume is eminently achievable, which has prompted the leaders to announce $10 billion as the new benchmark of bilateral trade. Turkish entrepreneurs firmly believe in the future of Ukraine and put huge investments into it. Telecommunications, renewable energy, construction, and agriculture are a few main sectors supported by the Turkish business community, which contributes to strengthening the Ukrainian economy. The visa free regime between the two countries has led to the upswing of tourism, where the number of visitors has increased to 1,75 million people. With this fact in mind, the two states are taking an ever-growing interest in each other and boost cooperation in the realm of culture. In October 2017, the Yunus Emre Cultural Centre was inaugurated in Kyiv with the aim of providing Turkish classes and cooperating with Ukrainian stakeholders interested in the organisation of cultural events. It is underlined that Turkey has repeatedly confirmed its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, namely in respect of Crimea and Donbas. Turkey is also closely cooperating with Ukraine on the international arena, in particular on matters relating to Crimean Tatars. The article concludes that Turkey and Ukraine have tremendous potential for cooperation and all the necessary tools to bring their bilateral relations to a new level. There are substantial grounds for the trade turnover to reach and even exceed $10 billion, especially if the free trade agreement is concluded. Apart from trade, general bilateral cooperation will encompass more realms, running the gamut from security to culture. The reason for this ambitious statement is not only efforts of the two states in this direction but also a sincere interest of the two nations in cooperation. Key words: Turkey, cooperation, trade, culture, tourism, security.

Map «Ukrainian Crimea» as a geospatial information source

The purpose of the article is to familiarize with the publication of the map «Ukrainian Crimea», prepared by experts - geographers, cartographers and historians; to draw attention to the importance of counteracting Russian propaganda in the information war; to outline approaches to creating this mapping work. The main material. In the face of the hybrid aggression of the Russian state against Ukraine, in which much attention is paid to propaganda, the publication of geospatial information sources that debunk propaganda myths is an important element of defense. It was the idea of the creators of the map «Ukrainian Crimea», which was published on the basis of the scientifi c-production fi rm «Maps and Atlases». The map presents a comprehensive and systematic picture of Crimea in geospatial and historical aspects. In addition to the map itself, the cartographic work is supplemented by illustrative and textual material. On the main map in scale 1 : 1 250 000 the main attention is paid to large infrastructural projects realized by the Ukrainian forces after the transfer of the peninsula to the Ukrainian SSR because of economic decline of the region due to the deportation of the Crimean Tatars (in particular, the irrigation of North Crimean Channel turned dry-steppe semi-desert landscapes to areas of intensive agriculture). Another focus of the main map is the repression of the occupying power against the pro-Ukrainian movement after the annexation. The historical retrospective shows the kaleidoscopic of the rulers and dozens of Crimean peoples. Conclusions and further research. The map thus dispels the myth of Russian propaganda that the peninsula has allegedly always belonged to Russia. It relies on the real research of scientists, not on the perverted facts or even outright lies, which are used by the propagandists of the «Russian world». Scientifi c novelty and practical signifi cance lies in the complex coverage by the cartographic method of illegal occupation of part of the Ukrainian territory by the Russian Federation and its subsequent annexation. This is important in the context of Russian hybrid aggression. The map «Ukrainian Crimea» will promote further development of thematic regional mapping in Ukraine, in particular, continuation of a series of maps «United Ukraine» may be maps of Eastern Slobozhanshchina, Taganrozhchina, Kuban, etc.

I Всероссийская научно-практическая кон­фе­ренция «Актуальные вопросы истории крымских татар», посвященная памяти Абд аль-Гаффара Кырыми (пгт. Форос, Республика Крым, 29 сентября 2018 г.)

I Всероссийская научно-практическая кон­фе­ренция «Актуальные вопросы истории крымских татар», посвященная памяти Абд аль-Гаффара Кырыми (пгт. Форос, Республика Крым, 29 сентября 2018 г.)

The scale of the modern buildings of the hotel and restaurant business of the Crimean Tatars

У статті аналізується масштаб в композиції сучасних споруд готельно-ресторанного бізнесу кримських татар. Масштаб – один із базових композиційних засобів формування певного художнього образу об’ємно-просторової форми, зокрема екстер’єру та інтер'єру, а також створення ансамблю, установлення композиційних зв’язків будівлі з оточуючим середовищем (архітектурним або природним) та з людиною. За допомогою масштабу досягається бажаний ступінь значущості архітектурних форм та внутрішнього простору (незалежно від фізичних розмірів споруд); підкреслюються головні елементи ансамблю (без збільшення їх фізичних об'ємів); великомасштабність деяких фонтанів посилює значущість оточуючого їх простору; твори мистецтва в інтер’єрі конкретизують масштаб внутрішнього простору; істотно впливають на масштабну характеристику споруди властивості будівельних матеріалів та конструкцій.

Narratives of the Great Famine: A View from Both Sides of the Isthmus of Perekop

After the annexation of Crimea, it has become obvious that the peninsula was and, to some degree, still remains a terra incognita for Ukrainian society, while the history of Crimean Tatars has never been integrated into Ukrainian national historical narrative. Indeed, research on the Holodomor topic, which occupies an important place in modern Ukrainian historiography, is traditionally limited to the borders of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic as the part of the USSR during the Great Famine of 1932–1933. Nevertheless, we can make an assumption that the local population also suffered from hunger during 1932–1933, according to fieldwork conducted in Crimea among Crimean Tatars and due to the official documents and other sources. The extent of famine in Crimea, according to the evidence, ranged from the hunger that “was not as severe as in Ukraine” to “people were starving and dying from hunger” and cannot be estimated. It should be mentioned that that situation varied from region to region. For example, in the northern part of the Crimean Peninsula, which is mainly the steppe, people were starving more than in the seacoast, where a plenty of fish helped them to survive. Relying on the available sources, it is difficult to argue what caused the famine in Crimea and how it correlates with “terror by hunger” on the territory of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic. At the same time, it can be said for sure that Crimean Peninsula had close ties with “mainland” during the years of hunger. According to the evidence recorded on both sides of the isthmus of Perekop, population of mainland was trying to escape from the famine and to save themselves in Crimea. Moreover, another reason for escaping to Crimea was labor migration, traditionally widespread in the southern part of mainland among local population. Furthermore, the proposed paper deals with the Crimean Tatars’ memory of Holodomor and its place among other hungers they suffered from.

Nogajskie przyśpiewki w krymskokaraimskiej medżumie Kyldżyego

Celem artykułu jest prezentacja i analiza szesnastu dwuwierszy zwanych čyŋami w karaimskiej medżumie autorstwa Elijahu b. Josefa Kyldżyego z początku XX w. Żadna z tych piosenek nie jest znana ze zbiorów dotąd opublikowanych, choć piosenki te były bardzo popularne wśród wszystkich ludów Krymu posługujących się językami turkijskimi, szczególnie wśród krymskich Tatarów i Nogajów. Jeśli chodzi o Karaimów, 105 čyŋów opublikował Ananiasz Zajączkowski, a 11 Włodzimierz Zajączkowski. Jednak nikt dotąd nie opublikował čyŋów po nogajsku, choć twierdzi się, że to jest typowo krymskotatarski i nogajski gatunek literacki. Artykuł stara się odpowiedzieć na pytanie, czy Kyldży sam ułożył te piosenki, czy dokonał adaptacji językowej znanych mu krymskotatarskich čyŋów na nogajski. Próbuje też pokazać, w jakim stopniu próba przedstawienia čyŋów w języku nogajskim była udana. Piosenki z medżumy Kyldżyego zostały przetłumaczone na polski.