In light of Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks involving the ceding of Crimea to Russia, representatives of Crimea’s Tatar minority have reacted to the peace formula, vowing to oppose any international recognition of a Russian Crimea.
A Russian condition for peace would involve formal American recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
In 2014, Moscow annexed Crimea after a sham referendum held under military occupation, without international observers.
The Mejlis, one of the formal bodies representing the Crimean Tatar people, have protested publicly against what they consider a violation of international law.
“No one can decide the fate of Crimea under any circumstances, except for the Ukrainian state and the Crimean Tatar people”, said chairman Refat Chubarov.
Tatars make up 15% of the Crimean population.
Tatars bear Russians a particular rancorous as they were deported massively by Soviet authorities. Prior to 1783 Russian conquest, they were the majority on the peninsula.
In 1944, the entire Tatar population of Crimea, numbering between 190,000 and 240,000, was deported, largely to the Uzbek SSR in Central Asia. A great many people died, and the houses they left behind were occupied by Russian colonizers.
