Weltschau

This sentence, which we have heard frequently lately, has officially become one of the main symbols of the Russia-Ukraine war. Its main meaning is this: The Russia-Ukraine war, which began with the occupation of the Crimean peninsula in February 2014, can only be considered won when all occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea, are liberated from occupation and their territorial integrity is restored!

In 2014, we frequently heard the absurdities of Russian chauvinists celebrating this easily won “victory,” such as “Crimea was handed over to Russia on a silver platter, without a drop of blood being shed”; “it has returned to its home – its main port,” on all Russian TV channels and in newspaper headlines. This illegal occupation triggered a massive wave of migration. On one hand, civilians (mostly Ukrainian citizens of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar origin) were forced to leave Crimea largely for security reasons, along with various religious groups facing oppression, etc. On the other hand, there were over a million Russian military personnel and their families, as well as unqualified and dubious citizens of the Russian Federation brought from the most remote parts of Russia and settled there. This situation inevitably reminds us of the May 18, 1944 Crimean Tatar deportation. It’s like driving out the indigenous population and replacing them with low-quality, criminal, and utterly degenerate individuals. And for the past 12 years, they had supposedly convinced the Crimean people that Crimea was protected by air defense systems as modern as the Kremlin’s, and by highly qualified soldiers and a naval fleet. As if it were forever under Russia’s powerful protection and Ukraine could never reclaim it – if we were to heed this brainwashing. Our compatriots under occupation, however, had learned to live and adapt to these harsh conditions. After all, this wasn’t the first time. How many times had the Crimean Tatars experienced occupation, exile, oppression, and imprisonment? They continued their daily lives, tried to remain united as much as possible, preserved their customs and traditions and passed them on to new generations, and most importantly, eagerly awaited the end of the occupation. Alongside them were hundreds of political prisoners, their relatives and lawyers who never gave up the struggle… All of them are still fighting, even at the cost of their lives and freedom.

Just when pessimistic analysts were saying Crimea would never be returned, Ukraine began conducting a series of incredibly successful operations. This is, of course, a success for the entire Ukrainian Armed Forces. But lately, we’ve been hearing the name of Robert Brovdi (nicknamed “Madyar”), Commander of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, more and more frequently. The new era demands new solutions, and Ukraine is doing this very well. On the one hand, it is destroying various Russian oil refineries, oil depots, military factories, ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov, especially its shadow fleet and military aircraft; on the other hand – and this is extremely important – it is paralyzing all of its logistics. By carefully and meticulously destroying oil depots and power plants in Crimea, while taking care not to harm civilians, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have dealt a significant shock to those who relied on the boundless power of the Russians. In many parts of Crimea, there is no gasoline, no electricity, and no water. The areas most affected are Northern Crimea, particularly Kerch, Dzhankoy, and Kezlev (Yevpatoria). Some areas have experienced power and water outages lasting over 10 days. Other regions of Crimea are also experiencing power outages that come and go, lasting about four hours. Gas stations are empty, and queues stretch for kilometers. Some people are setting up tents while waiting for gas, others are sleeping in their cars, and some are even punching those who skip the queue to get gas… We’re even learning from reel videos that weapons have been used. Despite these extensive internet restrictions, hundreds of reels depicting Russia’s desperate situation are appearing on social media. And we’re confirming from acquaintances living in those regions that these aren’t “fake,” that the situation is truly as it is. Citizens who supported Putin and were content with this brutal war, or were apolitical, when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, are now grumbling because of the gas shortages, power outages, rising prices in markets, and even the disappearance of some food items. Of course, we cannot ignore the role played by the Ukrainian drones that frightened them and kept them awake at night. The naive ones – or are they really? – suddenly realized that Putin was the culprit, that this war was only causing damage to lives and property, and that it needed to be stopped immediately. The rose-tinted glasses fell off, and the ugly and brutal truth became visible to the naked eye. The public was even emboldened to the point that some were saying, “Putin, you’re too old, enough is enough, leave your post and go.”

Anyway, let’s get to Crimea. Crimea seems to have been abandoned to its fate by the occupiers. People have started fleeing Crimea. As I mentioned before, Russian commanders who settled in Crimea years ago, and according to newly shared news, even fleet admirals in Sevastopol, have secretly moved their families and valuable documents belonging to their armed forces out of Crimea to safer regions. Those invaders who settled in Crimea years ago from remote parts of Russia, drooling over “Crimea is Ours,” are now sharing numerous videos of their escape. “What am I doing here?” says a weeping Russian woman, “gas prices have increased fivefold, supermarket shelves are empty, there’s no electricity, no water, I’d better gather my last money and go back to my birthplace, the village of Barnaul.” And nobody’s stopping you anyway! We say goodbye. Let those who want to flee, flee while the Kerch Bridge is still standing.

Our Crimean Tatar compatriots know very well how to stand strong in times of hardship. We faced far greater difficulties rebuilding our lives from scratch in the late 80s and early 90s, and thankfully, we are still standing tall! I know my compatriots. They have already stocked their pantries with flour, sugar, pasta, rice, etc. I’m sure my hardworking people have prepared jams and pickles from the fruits and vegetables they harvested from their own gardens. Small stoves, generators, flashlights – everything is readily available. But the greatest strength that saves my people in times of hardship is unity and solidarity, and of course, the approaching footsteps of victory and freedom! “IT BEGAN IN CRIMEA, IT WILL END IN CRIMEA”!!!