Isa Akayev, one of the film's protagonists at the presentation/Photo: Oleksandra Yefymenko/Hromadske Radio
The Crimean Tatar Resource Center presented the documentary film «Crimean Askers».
In the Crimean Tatar language, «Asker» translates to «warrior».
«It is important for us to show that the representatives of the indigenous people of Ukraine, the Crimean Tatars, are participating in the war in Ukraine against the Russian Federation. And also, to demonstrate to the international community that Crimean Tatars are also fighting for Crimea», — says Eskener Bariev, Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
The documentary was filmed in English and comprises a series of interviews with Ukrainian army soldiers from Crimea. Some interviews were recorded anonymously for security reasons, considering that the relatives of several soldiers still reside on the occupied peninsula.
«Putin seems to be continuing what Stalin failed to complete, and Catherine the Great started. Crimean Tatars feel a responsibility for their land and connect their lives with Crimea. Therefore, the only way out now is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people and fight for the entirety of Ukraine», — said Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people
Isa Akayev, one of the film’s protagonists and the commander of the unit «Crimea», shared his perspective on how the war began for him:
«When it all started in 2014, there was no question of fighting back or not. Everyone realized that we had to resist».