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Dear colleagues! “|Tkuma” Ukrainian Institute for Holocaust Studies, Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine” together with partners – the Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, “Orion” Ukrainian Educational Publishing Center – held a historical webinar “Deportation of the Crimean Tatar people and ethnic communities of Crimea: Soviet crime that has a sequel”, dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people.

 We continue to receive extensive answers and comments from esteemed speakers to the questions of our viewers and we are honored to post them on the pages of the Tkuma Institute and the Museum, Youtube channels and on the relevant pages on Facebook. Thank you for your attention to our events! Stay safe!

IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT EVENTS CAN BE CONSIDERED AS THE BEGINNING OF REPRESSIVE MEASURES ABOUT THE CRIMEAN TATARS? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF REFERENCE TO MAKE A FATEFUL DECISION?

Igor Kochergin, doctor of Historical sciences, head of the South-Eastern interregional department UINP National Memory Policy Department, Chairman of the Board of the Dnipropetrovsk regional organization

National Union of Local Historians of Ukraine

The starting point of large-scale repressive measures against the Kirill can be considered the appearance of a memorandum of the Deputy People's Commissar of State Security of the USSR Bohdan Kobulov and Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR Ivan Serov addressed to NKVD Chairman Lavrentiy Beria from April 22, 1944 about imaginary mass desertion Army during the Nazi offensive. On May 10, 1944, L. Beria personally reported to J. Stalin about the “desertion of the Tatars and the undesirableness of their residence in the border zone” and proposed to deport the Crimean Tatars to the Uzbek SSR. More details about debunking the myths about the Crimean Tatar people can be found in the article by researcher and journalist S. Gromenko at the link.

On May 11, 1944, a top-secret Resolution of the State Defense Committee № 5859ss “On the Crimean Tatars” was adopted. It made preliminary claims against the Crimean Tatar population - such as mass betrayal and mass collaborationism - which became the basis for further deportation. And already in the morning of May 18, 1944, the deportation of the Crimean Tatar people began, which lasted until May 20, and which involved 32 thousand NKVD officers. As a result, 191,044 people were expelled from the Crimea in 3 days, which had catastrophic consequences: more than 30,000 Crimean Tatars died of starvation, disease and exhaustion in places of exile. The deportation of Crimean Tatars became one of the most striking examples of crimes committed by the Soviet totalitarian regime during World War II, which, unfortunately, was continued in 2014.

Serhii Gromenko, candidate of Historical sciences, columnist “Crimea. Realities” / “Radio Svoboda” (Kyiv)

 In my opinion, the beginning of repressions against the Crimean Tatars can be considered 1928, namely – the case of the chairman of the Crimean ASSR Veli Ibraimov. It is known that just after his shooting, the repressive flywheel spun in full. Thus, the process of members of the Milli-Firka party as a “counter-revolutionary organization” was soon initiated. You can read more about this case at the link. The continuation of repressive measures, of course, was the classic terror against the Crimean Tatar intelligentsia of 1937, including the names of famous scientists, writers, teachers, public figures, journalists, etc.

Ms. Gulnara Bekirova is a recognized expert on the topic of deportation of rugs, whose thorough research is of special importance: I think that several of her many representative publications, in particular on the terror of the Crimean Tatars in 1937-1938, will be useful in preparing educators for classes, lectures and more. 

THE SOVIET PARTISANS? WHAT WAS THE ATTITUDE OF KYRIMALA TO PARTISAN DETACHMENTS?

Serhii Gromenko, candidate of Historical sciences, columnist “Crimea. Realities” / “Radio Svoboda” (Kyiv)

Of course, this is an extremely difficult question that requires a long answer or even a separate publication. For a general idea of ​​the peculiarities of the relationship between the fair and the Soviet guerrilla units, I advise you to refer to the already published professional research on the subject. These works reveal aspects of national relations during the Nazi occupation, as well as pay special attention to the activities of the guerrilla movement in the Crimea:

 1) Polyakov V. The terrible truth about the Great Patriotic War. Guerrillas without the stamp "Secret". Moscow: Yauza, Exmo, 2009. 384 p.

 2) Romanko O. Crimea under the heel of Hitler. German occupation policy in Crimea 1941–1944 Moscow: Veche, 2011. 432 p.

 3) Nemenko A. Crimea 1941–1944. The other side of the war. Some aspects of the history of the occupation of Crimea. Simferopol: OOO Dolya Publishing House, 2018. 420 p.

KURULTAY STARTED A PROJECT TO COLLECT ORAL HISTORICAL EVIDENCE REGARDING THE DEPORTATION OF THE CRIMINAL TATARS (IT SEEMS UNDER THE NAME "UNUTMA"). WHAT IS THE FATE OF THIS PROJECT TODAY?

Serhii Gromenko, candidate of Historical sciences, columnist “Crimea. Realities” / “Radio Svoboda” (Kyiv)

The UNUTMA project was launched on September 1, 2009 with the aim of “substantially supplementing previously collected evidence, systematizing it and sending it for further trial”. In less than two years, the archives of the Kurultai Special Commission for the Study of the Crimean Tatar Genocide received 390 sets of documents with statements and testimonies about tragic events. The project is indefinite in time, the evidence continues to be received and considered for compliance by experts from various fields familiar with the topic of deportation of the Crimean Tatar people.

You can get acquainted with the UNUTMA project in more detail on the official website of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.

I sincerely hope that the theses outlined by me will encourage Ukrainian educators to a broader study of the tragic history of the Crimean Tatar people in the XX century.