Iran Kutuzov is 53 years old. Lives in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. He runs a restaurant there. Iran is a member of the Tatar Muslim minority in the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine. The Tatar Muslim population of Turkish descent has long been exiled from Crimea due to the anger of the former Soviet government. At the age of 20, Iran, like many other Tatars from Central Asia, returned to Crimea.
Recalling that day, Iran said, "It was a happy day. When the elderly landed in Crimea from the plane, they kissed the ground. We were all crying for the joy of returning to our motherland."
However, the situation changed in 2014, when Russia occupied the Crimean Peninsula. About 10,000 Tatar Muslims, including Iran, had to leave their homeland again. Iran has been living in Kiev ever since. More than 100,000 Russian troops have now gathered on the Ukrainian border. Western nations, including the United States, have warned that Russia could launch a military strike on Russia at any time. If war breaks out, it will not be limited to Russia and Ukraine. The West will inevitably get involved. So the Tatar people are at new risk for their own safety, fearing Russian intervention in Ukraine.
Compulsory deportation
The Tatars are a small ethnic group in the Crimean valley north of the Black Sea. In 1944, about 160,000 Tatars lived in Crimea. Their main occupation was animal husbandry. Crimea then belonged to the Soviet Union. Angered by Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin, the Tatars were forced to migrate to Central Asia, especially Uzbekistan. It is said that about half of the Tatars died of starvation, cold and disease during this arduous journey. Several countries, including Ukraine, have identified the incident as genocide.
At one time, thousands of Tatars were serving in the Soviet Red Army. Even then, Joseph Stalin believed that the Tatars were loyal to the Nazis. Such campaigns have been waged against the Tatars for years during the Soviet era. This is the reason for Stalin's anger against them. He banned the Tatars from practicing their own language in Crimea. For these reasons, the Tatars have had an anti-Soviet attitude from the past. That rash still remains. Russia has just replaced the Soviets.
The fate of the Ukrainian people now depends largely on the diplomatic efforts of world leaders to resolve the ongoing crisis. Ukraine is our homeland. We are constantly thinking about what is going to happen here. We are concerned about the consequences for our destiny.
The foreheads of the Tatars open after 1991. By then, the Soviet Union had collapsed. Ukraine has become independent. Crimea has become part of Ukraine, not Russia. The Ukrainian government allowed the Tatars to return to their homeland. However, when they returned, they could not get up to the abandoned house, they were occupied. "My grandmother went to the house she left behind," said Rashida Kazakh, who lives in Kiev. Its new owner treats her very badly.
The next time is to gradually rise, to stay well. In the year of the fall of the Soviet Union, the body, representing the Tatars in Crimea, was formed. Tatar schools were established in Crimea. The Tatars dream of settling down, turning around, and making a living. However, this dream was shattered when Crimea fell into the hands of Russia. Since then, Ukraine's military has been battling Russian-backed separatists. At least 14,000 people lost their lives in this battle.
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