Ukraine: Kyiv backs fight of Crimean Tatars to save language, culture from Russian erasure
Apr 7, 2025 #Ukraine #Kyiv #UkraineWar
In Ukraine, the only Crimean Tatar school offers more than education—it's a peaceful stand for cultura
Apr 7, 2025 #Ukraine #Kyiv #UkraineWar
In Ukraine, the only Crimean Tatar school offers more than education—it's a peaceful stand for cultural survival.
Crimean Tatars use it to preserve their language, faith, and identity, threatened since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Historically subjected to ethnic cleansing, they see this school as resistance against erasure and forced assimilation.
Russia’s promises of Tatar language schools fell short; education in Crimea has been marginalised.
Now, Tatars in Ukraine link their rights to the broader struggle for democracy and human rights.
Their culture—centred on hospitality, tradition, and memory—blends with Ukrainian identity.
Through food, language, and heritage, they preserve hope for return and recognition.
Since the start of the war, Ukraine's government has taken steps to better recognise and support the Tatar people.
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi reports from Kyiv, Ukraine.
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