Crimean Tatars on the explosion: “First signs of the liberation of Crimea”

It is still unclear who is responsible for the recent explosions in Crimea. Crimean Tatars, who are suffering from the Russian annexation, see this as the first indication of an imminent liberation of the peninsula.

Behind an inconspicuous door in the center of Kiev, Eskender Bariev is trying to uphold the culture of his people. He heads the Crimean Tatar “Resource Center” founded in 2015 – a non-governmental organization (NGO) that fights for the rights of the Crimean Tatars and never tires of commemorating the many political prisoners of their people.

Bariiev pulls a pamphlet out of a stand: “We held an essay competition among children of political prisoners entitled ‘My father is a hero’. The children write in Russian or Crimean Tatar. We printed these essays and translated them into English.” The brochure consists of 15 essays.

In total, Bariev’s NGO has held 251 political prisoners since Russia occupied Crimea in 2014. Bariiev also quickly ran into problems with the occupation authorities. He is generally critical of Russia. His mother was deported under Stalin – like at least 200,000 other Crimean Tatars. Bariiev’s wife was born during the deportation and only returned to Crimea in the 1990s.

“A message to pack up””

The explosions that took place at a Russian air force base in Crimea on Tuesday raise hopes for the two. “These are the first signs that Crimea will be liberated. And those who are in Crimea illegally, who violate Ukrainian and international laws, should think about this first of all. This is the first message to them to pack their bags on time and to go home. No one invited her.”

What exactly triggered the explosions in Crimea is not yet known. Nor who is responsible for it. The Ukrainian government neither denies nor admits to an attack. And yet many Ukrainians believe that the explosions were caused by an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces. Military experts like Oleg Zhdanov also suspect this: “It’s clear that we shot there. It’s not clear with what. There are several possibilities.”

Does Ukraine have any other weapons?

The “New York Times” anonymously quoted a Ukrainian military officer as saying that it was a Ukrainian-made weapon. Or does Ukraine perhaps have western weapons with a longer range that the public has not yet heard about? Zhdanov speculates: “Remember the statement by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov that the whole list of weapons that are to come will not be announced? It will be shown with an unpleasant surprise on the battlefield. It is quite possible that this will now be the surprise for the Russian troops.”

But all these questions are secondary for Eskender Bariiev. He wants to go back to his homeland – it doesn’t matter how. The liberation of Crimea from Russian troops is possible, but only a small first step. Ukraine faces a long process of really reintegrating Crimea: “When this process is complete, Crimea will begin to be reintegrated into Ukraine. And there will be very serious questions, serious questions.”

For eight years, people in Crimea have been exposed to Russian propaganda. Bariiev estimates that real reintegration of the Ukrainian peninsula could take up to ten years.