Crimean Tatar underground group takes arms against Russia – The Guardian

The Guardian writes about this. 

Mustafa Dzemilev, a prominent figure in the Crimean Tatar rights movement, highlighted the operations of the Atesh (“fire”) guerrilla group. Comprised of Crimean Tatars, Ukrainians, and Russians, the group carries out acts of sabotage within the Russian army. Over 4,000 Russian soldiers have allegedly joined an online course on self-sabotage, according to the article.

“Atesh is very deep underground. There was not a single arrest among Atesh members, but they are working inside Crimea territory blowing up targets, “ Dzhemilev told the Guardian in an interview in Kyiv. 

Although the Atesh group has not been linked to the recent attack on the Kerch Bridge, they have claimed responsibility for various smaller-scale attacks. These include destroying Russian checkpoints, assassinating officers, setting fire to barracks, and providing intelligence to Ukrainian authorities. The group recently accused Russian sappers of laying mines in the Krymskyi Titan chemical works, which could potentially cause an ammonia cloud.

Since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the 300,000-strong Crimean Tatar community has been at the forefront of resistance against Russian occupation. The community has a long history of persecution under both imperial and Soviet rule.

Stalin's deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 to Uzbekistan led to years of suffering and human rights abuses. Mustafa Dzemilev, who experienced this deportation as a child, is a respected human rights activist and community leader.

Crimean Tatars face disproportionate political arrests, illegal searches, kidnappings, and disappearances under Russian occupation. Many activists are missing or have been jailed, indicating the ongoing challenges faced by the community.

Refat Chubarov, the current Mejlis chairman, emphasized that any negotiations regarding Crimea's future must include the participation of its Indigenous people. He stated that thousands of Crimean Tatars are ready to defend their homeland against prolonged Russian occupation.

While Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces is ongoing, the liberation of Crimea remains distant. Some international supporters of Ukraine worry that a desperate Russian response could escalate the situation to the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, according to the article. 

The Crimean Tatars, motivated and operating as a partisan force, would exert additional pressure on Moscow without alarming allies, much like the Russian volunteers fighting on Ukrainian soil.

“At the current moment, around 1,000 young men are ready to take up arms as soon as the Ukrainian army arrives, if they are able to get the weapons,” Dzemilev said.

“The Crimean Tatars are of extreme importance in the future liberation of Crimea, from the ideological, political and other points of view,” the Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said. “They are very active and effective in terms of the preparation for the future liberation of Crimea. Dzemilev and Chubarov are actively cooperating with the presidential office and Ukrainian central government in those preparations. Crimean Tatars are serving in the armed services of Ukraine and take an active role in partisan operations in Crimea,” he added.

Following liberation, the Crimean Tatars will seek greater recognition and constitutional changes. Their goal is to establish Crimea as a "national republic" where they, as Indigenous people, would hold special status. This pursuit for recognition would occur independently of the community's role in the liberation process, Mustafa Dzemilev is concinced.