On Feb. 3, 1992, Ukraine and Türkiye established diplomatic relations. At the outset of Ukraine’s independence, it was already clear how important this partnership would become for Ukraine’s indigenous people, the Crimean Tatars. However, February has also become a tragic month in Ukraine’s history: On Feb. 20, 2014, the Russian Federation set into motion its attempts to annex Crimea, and on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In this context, Türkiye's role in supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity and protecting the rights of Crimean Tatars becomes particularly significant, as it is the Crimean Tatar people who have suffered the most since 2014 – the year when Russia began its aggression against Ukraine.
For 11 years, the Russian Federation has been waging war against Ukraine. The first act of this war was the attempted annexation of Crimea, which began on Feb. 20, 2014, and continues to this day. For the Crimean Tatars, the indigenous people of the peninsula, these events have been a true shock. A nation that had begun to revive after years of deportation during the Soviet era found itself once again under the threat of disappearance.
From the outset of the occupation, the representatives of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People publicly condemned Russia’s actions and boycotted the so-called integration referendum. In response, the occupying authorities banned the Mejlis, accusing it of extremism. Crimean Tatar leaders were banned from entering the peninsula, and activists began to be persecuted, abducted and imprisoned on fabricated charges.
According to human rights organizations, since the beginning of the Russian occupation of the peninsula, 60 deaths or murders under unclear circumstances have been recorded, 28 of which were Crimean Tatars. In addition, 236 people have been recognized as political prisoners or are being persecuted on fabricated charges, the majority of whom are Crimean Tatars. Another 24 people have gone missing, and 18 of them are members of the indigenous people. This sad statistic is compounded by a wave of constant searches, arrests and intimidation, which has forced many activists and cultural figures who once played a leading role in the development of Crimean Tatar life to flee their homes.
Before 2014, the Crimean Tatars had made significant progress. After their mass return from places of deportation in the late 1980s and 1990s, they managed to rebuild their lives in Crimea almost from scratch. Ukraine granted the right to return without obstacles and citizenship to all Crimean Tatars, including those born in exile, and adopted and financed state programs for repatriation, social adaptation and integration. Ukraine also supported the revival of the Crimean Tatar language, culture and religion.
In Crimea, national theaters, libraries and Crimean Tatar radio and TV channels were actively working. Schools and classes with instruction in the native language were being opened. A number of infrastructure projects were initiated and implemented: Neighborhoods were built for Crimean Tatars, roads, water supply systems and networks for electricity and gas were laid.
The political core of Crimean Tatar life became the Kurultai, restored in 1991, and the Mejlis – an officially recognized representative body. In 2014, there were almost 250 local and regional mejlises in Crimea, uniting up to four thousand active representatives of the indigenous people.
After launching a full-scale war against Ukraine, Russia intensified its repression in Crimea and other temporarily occupied regions in the south and east of Ukraine. In the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Mykolaiv regions, there have been documented cases of kidnappings and torture of civilians, including Crimean Tatars who actively supported Ukraine’s position. These areas also saw illegal deportations and displacement to Russian regions, alongside forced enlistment. In some areas, Crimean Tatars made up 80-90% of those drafted into the Russian army.
Such actions demonstrate the occupying authorities' aim to systematically eliminate the male population of the indigenous people, weakening the resistance movement and effectively destroying their identity.
Despite the Kremlin's propaganda, the reality proves otherwise: It was only within an independent Ukraine that the Crimean Tatar people were able to revive their language, spirituality and national self-government. In contrast, Russian occupation has led to the banning of the Mejlis, widespread persecutions, the destruction of cultural monuments, the reduction of Crimean Tatar language education programs and the suppression of pro-Ukrainian activists.
Before 2014, the number of Crimean Tatars in various levels of parliamentary bodies was counted in the hundreds, but under the Russian regime, the presence of the indigenous people in local governance has sharply decreased. This is further evidence that the so-called "rehabilitation" of the Crimean Tatars, declared by the occupying authorities, remains nothing more than a declaration in name only.
For Türkiye, the fate of the Crimean Tatars has always been a matter of great importance. The historical and cultural ties with Crimea run deep. Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations with independent Ukraine on Feb. 3, 1992, Ankara has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to supporting the indigenous people. Türkiye's position after Russian aggression has remained unchanged.
Türkiye supported Ukraine's territorial integrity and non-recognition of Crimea's annexation and gave political and diplomatic support for the Crimean Tatars on the international stage. Türkiye also provided humanitarian initiatives for Crimean Tatars who were forced to temporarily leave the peninsula. In particular, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) participates in many programs supporting deported and displaced people, providing funding for cultural and educational projects, among others.
Thanks to Türkiye's mediation, several political prisoners, including the deputy chairperson of the Mejlis, Akhtem Chiygoz, and Ilmi Umerov, were freed. After Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Ankara continued its peacekeeping mission, participating in negotiations for the exchange of prisoners of war and political detainees, including Crimean Tatars.
Despite the threat of extinction, the Crimean Tatars remain loyal to Ukraine and continue to fight for their homeland. Hundreds of Crimean Tatars are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and those under occupation are joining the underground resistance.
Historically, Crimean Tatars, like Ukrainians, have repeatedly suffered under authoritarian regimes and policies of repression. Annually, on May 18, Ukraine honors the memory of the victims of the Crimean Tatar genocide. This day is officially recognized as the Remembrance Day for the victims of the 1944 deportation when the Stalinist regime forcibly removed nearly 200,000 Crimean Tatars from the peninsula. Last year, the Memorial to the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide was opened in Kyiv, emphasizing the resilience and unity in the face of repression.
This shared experience of resisting Russian aggression only strengthens the desire of both nations to live in an independent, democratic Ukraine, where every ethnic group can freely develop its own culture, language and traditions.
Ukrainian-Turkish cooperation will continue to strengthen as both countries share a common goal: stability in the Black Sea region and adherence to international law. Türkiye does not recognize the attempted annexation of Ukrainian Crimea and will continue to provide political and humanitarian support to all those who have suffered due to Russian occupation.
At the same time, Ukraine, in defending its independence, remains the guarantor of the preservation and development of the Crimean Tatar people. The return of Crimea under Ukraine's control will open new opportunities for cultural revival, economic growth and political self-realization for all the residents of the peninsula.
Crimea is part of Ukraine, and the future of the Crimean Tatars lies with a democratic and European Ukraine – this thesis now unites the efforts of Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and international partners. Victory in the war, the de-occupation of Crimea and the restoration of the rights of indigenous peoples, including the Crimean Tatars, is a common goal that Kyiv, Ankara and the entire global community supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty are working toward.
