Tatars have called Crimea home for centuries, but became a minority after Russia took over the region in the 18th century under Catherine the Great. Joseph Stalin had the entire population deported to Central Asia during WWII claiming they were Nazi collaborators & only allowed to return to the peninsula in the 1980s.
Crimean Tatars having this history of Russian persecution led made them oppose the 2014 Russian annexation attempt. Russian authorities subsequently tried to co-opt Crimean When Tatar leader refused to collaborate with Russia then Russia banned their elected representative: mejlis.
Many Crimean Tatars are recognized as political prisoners with increased arrests and political pressure since the Feb 2022 Russian invasion. Russian authorities said anyone displaying pro-Ukraine sentiment is liable for arrest.
Tamila Ravilivna Tasheva, serving as the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea since 25 April 2022, said: “First they tried to buy us, then they tried to repress us and now they see mobilization as a way to try to simply get rid of us.”
Thanks so much for this info
May the Tartars receive justice