Chubarov warns of existential threat to Ukraine: Ceding Crimea
The chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Refat Chubarov, warns against the consequences of ceding Crimea to Russia. He asserts that this could signify the end of Ukraine's independence and the obliteration of the Crimean Tatar nation.
Refat Chubarov, chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, emphasised that ceding Crimea to Russia would be tantamount to a threat to Ukraine's future and the annihilation of the Crimean Tatar nation. Chubarov highlighted the persecution of ethnic Ukrainians who do not recognise the Russian occupation.
Repression and persecution continue in Crimea. At least 227 people are deprived of freedom, most of them already sentenced. They are brought before occupational courts in distant regions of Russia, attempting to separate them from their relatives and lawyers — highlighted the leader of the Crimean Tatars.
In March in Eupatoria, four family members were arrested, accused of collaborating with the Ukrainian special services. Russia uses repression to "break the will" of the inhabitants of Crimea and force them to leave the peninsula.
Crimea cannot be ceded to Russia
Since 2014, Russia has relocated nearly one million of its citizens to Crimea, which "dramatically changes the ethnic composition of the residents." Chubarov emphasises that the loss of Crimea would mean the loss of strategic Black Sea routes and would severely impact Ukraine's economic and military security.
If any politician considers ceding Crimea, they should be aware that they are giving Putin the authority to completely destroy the Crimean Tatar people. What Catherine II and Stalin failed to achieve, Putin will complete. For us, further control of our land by Russia means that they will ultimately deal with us - he warned.
Chubarov warns that ceding Crimea would give Putin "a license to destroy the Crimean Tatar people." He reminds us that Russia has not changed its demands since the beginning of the invasion in 2022 and that any concessions to Russia may lead to chaos worldwide. - And there will no longer be the rule of law, but the law of force — he added.
