Re: http://www.rferl.org/content/Going_Nowhere_Fast__Crimean_Tatars_In_The_EU/1986705.html

 

Note how Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev is described. "There can be few leaders as dignified, cogent, and dedicated as Dzhemilev, who has unfailingly adhered to the principles of nonviolence."

The late Kosovo Albanian nationalist leader Ibrahim Rugova was depicted in a similar manner. At times, this characterization of Dzhemilev and Rugova has overlooked the intransigent elements within their respective community - as Serbs and Russians have been negatively characterized in a not so accurate manner.  

 

In a region that's mostly pro-Russian in outlook, how "moderate" is it of Dzhemilev to have openly sided with the Georgian government in its armed conflict with Russia? 

 

As previously expressed on the matter of the Crimean Tatars:

 

 

Excerpt

 

During the question and answer segment of Kupchinsky's discussion, someone gave a series of editorialized comments and questions that can be taken as pro-Crimean Tatar/anti-Russian/Ukrainian nationalist. In his own words, the mentioned individual said that the Crimean Tatar community has been in general agreement with the anti-Russian/Ukrainian nationalists. The person in question portrayed the Russian majority in Crimea as the instigator of tensions in that region. He added that Russians from outside of Crimea have contributed to these tensions.

Such a characterization has been credibly directed at some Ukrainian nationalists from outside that region. Within Crimea, The Washington Post's Philip Pan noted that the region's Russian and Ukrainian communities generally get along well with each other. In actuality, the dispute in Crimea between some Tatars and Slavs is not a matter of total or near total provocation of the latter. When compared to some other former Communist bloc ethnic disputes, Crimea's predicament has been limited.

Over the course of time, Crimea has experienced confrontation between the Slav and Tatar communities. Part of Crimean territory became affiliated with the state of Rus. Later on, the Tatars settled in Crimea, where a slave trade against Slavs and some others took effect. Crimea became part of the Russian Empire in 1783. During World War II, the Crimean Tatars were exiled and interned by the Soviet government, under very harsh conditions. The reason for this treatment (having to do with an ethically challenged notion of collective loyalty during war) is akin to what Japanese-North Americans faced at the same time. (The latter had much better conditions, due to the more desirable wartime socioeconomic circumstances in North America and the different political situation between the Soviet Union and North America.)

After the Soviet Union's demise, a number of the exiled Crimean Tatar families sought to live in Crimea. Upon arriving to that region, they have received some assistance from the Ukrainian government and are supported by anti-Russian/Ukrainian nationalists. The Tatars currently comprise under 15% of Crimea's population.