Prije jedanaest godina, u veljači, započeo je rat. Ruski rat protiv Ukrajine sada je u punom jeku, ali sve je počelo na Krimu. Krimski poluotok, autonomna republika unutar granica suverene Ukrajine, anektirala je Rusija. Ruska propaganda širi mitove i laži o Krimu i njegovoj povijesti. Kao da postoji bilo koji način da se opravda okrutan i neprovokiran napad na susjeda. Stoga ćemo u ovom članku baciti svjetlo na neka popularna pitanja o Krimu.

Čija je to zemlja? Je li uvijek bila “ruska”?

Krim ima dugu i bogatu povijest. Ova prekrasna zemlja između Crnog mora i Azovskog mora naseljena je još od kamenog doba. Kimmerijci, Tauri, Skiti, stari Grci, Rimljani, Goti, Hazari, Pečenezi, Talijani, Slaveni…

Krimskotatarska država, nasljednica Zlatne Horde

U 15. stoljeću pojavio se Krimski Kanat. To je bila krimskotatarska država, nasljednica Zlatne Horde. Valja napomenuti da su od Moskovije, starog naziva ruske države, primali danak sve do 1700. godine.
Krajem 18. stoljeća kanat je izgubio zaštitu Osmanskog Carstva i anektirala ga je Rusija. Godine 1917. osnovana je Krimska Narodna Republika. Njeni predstavnici dva puta su posjetili Kijev kako bi pregovarali o ujedinjenju s Ukrajinskom Narodnom Republikom. Nažalost, KNR je godinu dana kasnije zauzela boljševička vlast. Tada je bila dio Ruske Sovjetske Federativne Socijalističke Republike od 1921. do 1954. godine.
Godine 1954. Krim je postao dio Ukrajinske Sovjetske Socijalističke Republike.
S padom SSSR-a, Krim je vratio svoj autonomni status kao dio neovisne Ukrajine. To je potvrdilo 54-57% stanovništva na ukrajinskom referendumu o neovisnosti 1991. godine.

Krimski Tatari

Autohtono stanovništvo Krimskog poluotoka su Krimski Tatari. To su istočnoeuropski turski narod nastanjen na Krimu. Govore krimskotatarskim jezikom i prakticiraju islam.
Od aneksije Krima od strane Ruskog Carstva, narod Krima je bio ugnjetavan. Krimski Tatari su se iselili u Osmansko Carstvo. Neki su prisilno preseljeni u druge regije Ruskog Carstva. Kao rezultat toga, broj Krimskih Tatara pao je s milijun prije aneksije na 200 000. Carstvo je dovelo ljude iz regija moderne Rusije kako bi zamijenili autohtono stanovništvo.

Još jedno prisilno raseljavanje Krimskih Tatara dogodilo se 1944. godine. Etničko čišćenje organizirao je Staljin pod lažnim optužbama. Za samo nekoliko dana deportirano je najmanje 400 000 ljudi, djece, žena, starijih osoba, u Srednju Aziju. Krimski autonomni status je ukinut. Povijesni toponimi su promijenjeni. Povijest regije je prepisana kako bi se isključila svaka spomena autohtonog stanovništva. Rođen je mit o ruskom Krimu.

Moderna povjest

Tek 1989. godine Krimski Tatari više nisu bili zabranjeni vratiti se na Krim. Proces nije bio lak niti pošten. U svakom slučaju, postignut je međusobni dogovor. Ukrajina je priznala Krimske Tatare kao autohtone. A Krim je bio autonomna regija Ukrajine. Neposredno prije aneksije, ankete su pokazale da samo trećina stanovništva Krima želi postati dio Rusije.

Je li Krim bio poklon Ukrajini od strane Ruske Sovjetske Federativne Socijalističke Republike?

Još jedan popularni mit tvrdi da je Krim bio poklon Ukrajinskoj Sovjetskoj Socijalističkoj Republici. I, očito, neka nazadna logika zahtijeva da se svi pokloni moraju vratiti.

Veza između Ukrajine i Krima

Prvo, nemoguće je vidjeti da Krim i kopnena Ukrajina imaju fizičku vezu, prolaz. Za razliku od Rusije i Krima, koji su povezani novoizgrađenim mostom. Dakle, trgovinski odnosi, sukobi i suradnja između ljudi koji žive na poluotoku i u Ukrajini nisu bili ništa novo, bez obzira na to koje je carstvo osvojilo ta područja.

Krim na dar?

Drugo, s obzirom na razdoblje kada je Krim prebačen u Ukrajinu, pošteno je postaviti pitanje “zašto tada?”. Krim je strašno patio tijekom Drugog svjetskog rata. Masovna deportacija autohtonog stanovništva nije samo oštetila demografiju regije. Uništila je gospodarstvo i prijenos znanja i iskustva. Ljudi koji su dovedeni tamo iz Rusije da žive i obrađuju zemlju nisu mogli uspjeti. Nisu znali ništa o toj klimi, nisu mogli upravljati vodnim resursima itd.

Ukrajina do Krima

Na kraju, iscrpljena, ratom razorena regija “poklonjena” je Ukrajini. Za obnovu, obnovu, poljoprivredu i brigu o njoj. Izgrađen je kanal za dovod vode iz rijeke Dnjepar na Krim. Ukrajinski inženjeri, izvođači radova, poljoprivrednici i radnici sudjelovali su u obnovi Krima. Uključujući povjesničare i arhitekte koji su pokušali istražiti i sačuvati tragove kulture i povijesti Krimskih Tatara.

Ukratko, Krim nije uvijek bio ruski. I nije bio poklon nikome. Svi ti mitovi se koriste kako bi se izmislili lažni razlozi za otupljivanje osvajanja i pljačke. Bez drugog cilja osim da RF može kontrolirati ne samo svoje neposredne susjede, već i Crno more.

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Two questions about Crimea: Whose land is it? Was it “a gift” to Ukraine?

In February, 11 years ago, a war started. The Russian war against Ukraine is now in its hot full-scale stage, but it all started in Crimea. The Crimean peninsular, the autonomous republic within the borders of sovereign Ukraine, was annexed by Russia. Russian propaganda is spreading myths and lies about Crimea and its history. As if there can be any way to make a brutal unprovoked attack on one’s neighbour legitimate. Thus, in this piece we are going to cast light on some popular questions about Crimea.

Whose land is it? Was it “always Russian”?

Crimea has a long and rich history. This beautiful land between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Cimmerians, Tauri, Scythians, ancient Greeks, Romans, Gothes, Khazars, Pechenegs, Italians, Slavs…

States
In the 15th century there appeared the Crimean Khanate. This was a Crimean Tatar state, the successor of the Empire of the Golden Horde. It is worth noting, they received taxes from Moscovia, this is the old name of the Russian state, up until 1700.

At the end of the 18th century, the khanate lost the protection of the Ottoman Empire, and was annexed by the Russian one.

In 1917, there appeared the Crimean Peoples Republic. Its representatives visited Kyiv twice to negotiate a union with the Ukrainian Peoples Republic. Unfortunately, the CPR was taken by the Bolsheviks a year later. It was then a part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1921-1954.

In 1954, Crimea became a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

With the fall of the USSR, Crimea regained its autonomous status as a part of independent Ukraine. This was backed by 54-57% of the population during the Ukrainian Independence referendum of 1991.

The Crimean Tatars
The indigenous people of the Crimean Peninsular are the Crimean Tatars. These are east-European Turkic people formed in Crimea. They speak the Crimean Tatar language and practice Islam.

Since the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire, the people of Crimea have been oppressed. The Crimean Tatars migrated to the Ottoman Empire. Some were forcefully taken to other regions of the Russian Empire. As a result, the number of the Crimean Tatars fell from one million before the annexation to 200 000. The empire brought people from the regions of modern Russia to replace the indigenous population.

Another forceful displacement of the Crimean Tatars happened in 1944. The ethnic cleansing was organised by Stalin under false accusations. No less than 400 000 people, children, women, elderly, were deported to Central Asia in just a couple of days. The Crimean autonomous status was annulled. Historic toponyms were changed. The history of the region was rewritten to exclude any mentioning of indigenous people. The myth of Russian Crimea was born.

Modern history
It was only in 1989 that the Crimean Tatars were no longer banned from returning to Crimea. The process was not easy or fair. Anyway, a mutual understanding was reached. Ukraine recognised Crimean Tatars as indigenous. And Crimea was an autonomous region of Ukraine. Just before the annexation, polls showed that only a third of the population of Crimea was eager to become a part of Russia.

Was Crimea a gift to Ukraine from the Russian Soviet Republic?

Another popular myth claims that Crimea was a gift to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. And, obviously, some backward logic demands that all gifts must be given back.

Firstly, it is impossible to see that Crimea and mainland Ukraine have a physical connection, a passage. Unlike Russia and Crimea, which are connected by a newly built bridge. Thus, trade relations, conflicts and cooperation between the people living on the peninsular and in Ukraine were not something new, no matter which empire conquered these lands.

Secondly, considering the time period Crimea was transferred to Ukraine, it is only fair to pose the question “why then?”. Crimea suffered horribly during World War II. Mass deportations of its indigenous people not only damaged the demography of the region. It destroyed the economy and the transfer of knowledge and experience. People who were brought there from Russia to live and farm the land could not succeed. They knew nothing of that climate, could not manage water resources, etc.

In the end, an exhausted, war-torn region was “presented” to Ukraine. To rebuild, restore, farm and take care of it. A canal was built to supply water from the Dnipro river to Crimea. Ukrainian engineers, contractors, farmers and workers took a huge part in the restoration of Crimea. Including historians and architects who tried to explore and preserve traces of the Crimean Tatars culture and history.

Long story short, Crimea was not always Russian. And it was not a gift to anybody. All these myths are used to make up false reasons to blunt conquest and robbery. Without no other goal than making RF able to control not only its immediate neighbours, but the Black Sea as well.