'Propaganda stronger than in Soviet Union': activist Amet Bekir on current situation in Crimea

Russia began its occupation of Ukraine in 2014 from Crimea, where Crimean Tatars were among the first to resist. On February 25, pro-Russian protesters rallied outside the Crimean parliament, demanding a referendum on secession.

The next day, February 26, tens of thousands of Crimeans and Ukrainians gathered in front of the Supreme Council of Crimea in Simferopol to defend the integrity of Ukraine.

Since 2020, according to a presidential decree, February 26 has been established as the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol as an annual memorial day.

Espreso.Zakhid spoke with Amet Bekir, a representative of the Crimean Tatar Cultural Center in Lviv, a public figure who moved here with his family 11 years ago after the occupation of Crimea. Now he works as a teacher in a Lviv school.

"My people reacted quickly precisely because we have known for many years who we are dealing with. On our land in Crimea, we realized that we had to react quickly to this enemy," says Amet Bekir, a Crimean Tatar.

Crimea in 2014

Recalling those tragic days when the Russians once again took away their native land, Amet Bekir said that the Crimean Tatars did everything possible to preserve the integrity of their homeland.

"The first volunteer movement began in Crimea at that time, and it was Crimeans who became the first volunteers because they cooked pilaf, our Crimean Tatar dish, which we ‘transported’ from Uzbekistan. They cooked food for the military in the units, bought and sent cigarettes, because they were completely blocked by the Russians. It was moral and physical support," says Bekir.

Then, the Crimean Tatars organized, with each community guarding its area.  

"I was in a district of Bakhchisarai; we resisted with wooden sticks and bats - that’s all we had," a Crimean recalls.

He explained why Ukraine designated February 26 as the Day of Resistance to Russian occupation.  

"On February 26, we, Crimean Tatars, the Indigenous people of Ukraine, declared: Crimea is Ukraine. The events at the Crimean parliament showed the world that we stand with Ukraine."

"These events pain me deeply because even here in Lviv, as a teacher, I hear 10-year-olds say their whole life is war. But it hurts even more knowing that in Crimea, our Crimean Tatar children, now 10-11 years old, have lived not just in war but under occupation. It’s terrifying," says Amet Bekir.

Crimea today

Massive Russian propaganda now dominates the occupied Crimean peninsula, says activist Amet Bekir.  

"It’s worse than in the Soviet era. But Ukraine endures, and my people resist because Crimean Tatar families remind their children: our homeland is Ukraine. Under the USSR, dissidents got three to four years in prison - now it's 20. Russians are also banning our symbols and flag," he adds.

He recalled how Russians immediately banned the Ukrainian flag, yet it remained on the Mejlis building until the end.  

The last Ukrainian flag on the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people in Simferopol was removed by Russian occupiers on September 29, 2014, after forcibly evicting the Mejlis from its office. Despite the occupation in March 2014, the flag remained until the building was seized.

The biggest fear in every Crimean Tatar family is that at any moment, authorities may come and take the head of the household. This fear, they admit, is universal.

"This is ingrained in our memory since the deportation. My father was born in 1939 and was only five when he was forcibly expelled in 1944. In 2014, my little daughter was also five when we had to leave. What does this show? Constant control over us. This tragedy unites us with the Ukrainian people - Russia has always sought to control Ukraine. These shared experiences bind Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians together."

Bekir gives religion as an example: just as Ukraine's Greek Catholic Church and the Bible were banned and forced underground, the Quran was also prohibited for them.

"It is symbolic that we always honored Noman Çelebicihan on February 23 - the day he was tortured to death in 1918. He was our national hero, the first head of the 1917 Crimean Democratic Republic, and the first mufti of Muslims in Crimea, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. Around the same time, the Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed, showing how deeply our histories are connected," he adds.

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According to the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, 385 people have been politically persecuted under occupation, including 236 Crimean Tatars. The occupation has also resulted in 60 deaths (28 Crimean Tatars) and 24 enforced disappearances (18 Crimean Tatars).

For the anniversary of the Russian invasion, Crimean Tatars released a video titled "We Fought Then, We Will Win Now" on the Crimean Tatar Resource Center’s page. It serves as a reminder of the 2014 events, the repression of pro-Ukrainian residents, and the ongoing full-scale war.