During the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula in February-March 2014, the Russian Federation made the main bet on several population groups of the region to create an image of “mass support for the return of primordially Russian Crimea to its historical homeland” – Russian speaking population, “Soviet” and combined (so-called Soviet-Russsian, consisted from not only ethnic Russians) identity representatives. All other identities were considered “uncomfortable” for the Russian aggression in Crimea.
That is precisely why, after the occupation and the spread of its legislation to the peninsula, the Russian Federation began a policy of persecuting the peninsula’s disloyal pro-Ukrainian and Crimean-Tatar population.

Despite the declaration in the “Constitution of the Republic of Crimea” of three state languages – Russian, Ukrainian, and Crimean Tatar, and Ukrainians as one of the ethnic communities on the territory of Crimea, Russian is entirely dominant in Crimea. Attempts to publicly use Ukrainian are interpreted as a disloyal political position, and any manifestations of love for Ukraine, its language, and culture are presented as manifestations of “radical nationalism”. There is nothing Ukrainian in education, information sector, religion, freedom of speech, and rights to peaceful assembly in Crimea. Any public actions that could contribute to preserving Ukrainian culture on the territory of Crimea are prohibited. All persons who publicly spoke either in Ukrainian or showed their pro-Ukrainian position were under investigation, systematic pressure was applied to them, and their families and friends were threatened.

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