MLT Library showing of ‘A Struggle for Home’ provides Crimean Tatar point of view

Christina Paschyn’s 2015 documentary “A Struggle for Home: The Crimean Tatars” – shown Oct. 19 at the Mountlake Terrace Library – hits home for local Tatars and Ukrainians.

Kerem Onat, whose grandmother is a Crimean Tatar, organized the viewing to bring attention to the plight Crimean Peninsula natives, who have fought against Russia for two centuries.

This is the first event Onat, a Mountlake Terrace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission member, has coordinated — and he did it alone. He said his ties to Crimea and the plight of his Crimean Tatar friends compelled him to raise awareness.

“I was nervous,” Onat said. “There were many moving parts.”

The most crucial element was contacting the film’s writer and director, Christina Paschyn, for permission to show the movie, which she wholeheartedly agreed to.

The audience consisted of Ukrainians, Russian Tatars, Crimean Tatars and interested Americans. Those from Eastern Europe still have family in Russia, Ukraine and Crimea, so requested that only their first names be used.

A Ukrainian audience member said they could not speak to their Russian family because of the effectiveness of Russian propaganda, which has turned family members against each other. Those who do not support Putin’s “Special Military Operation” are the enemy, family member or not.

Tension rose as the group discussed the recent news of North Korean soldiers being deployed to Ukraine on behalf of Russia. For the Crimean guests the war in Ukraine is more than a battle of East vs. West or Russia vs. NATO. The winners of this war will determine if the Tatars will ever have a chance to get their homeland back.

Marlen and his family are Crimean Tatars. His family was forced by the Soviet Union (USSR) to relocate to Uzbekistan in 1944. It was Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s era of Russification of the peninsula, intent on eradicating Tatar language, culture, history and art.

Marlen’s parents, Elzara and Ridvan, were among the Crimean Tatars who moved back when the Soviet government allowed remigration, only for the USSR. to crumble shortly after. When Crimea became part of Ukraine rather than Russia, Marlen said the Tatars felt they finally had a chance to reclaim their home.

Since the time of Catherine the Great and through the Soviet era, Crimea has served a vital role for Russia, as it does not freeze over like its northern ports. From the Black Sea, ships can pass through the Turkish Straits, giving access to a chain of seas that eventually reach the Atlantic Ocean.

Crimea became part of Ukraine when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, bringing hope and progress. The Crimean Tatars’ official representatives — the Mejlis Council — were recognized in 1999, giving them representation in the Ukrainian government.

In 2014, Russia invaded Crimea. From tsarist to Communist to a federative democracy run by a dictator and his oligarchs, whoever controls Russia wants the Crimean Peninsula; they just don’t want Crimean Tatars. Again, under Russian control, the persecution started anew.

Ten years later, many – including Marlen – are confused about how it was possible for Crimea to be reanenxed by Russia. This had left Ukrainian and Tatar faith shaken with Western allies and regretting giving up its nuclear arsenal in 1994 as part of the Budapest Memorandum.

The memorandum is not a treaty but a legally binding, non-enforceable memorandum of understanding. It states that Russia and Western countries confirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty as an independent state and recognized its borders. While Western Europe and the U.S. have respected this agreement and Ukraine’s borders, Russia has violated it several times since its signing.

The fates of Ukraine and Crimea are linked. If Ukraine wins its current war with Russia, the Crimean Tatars may finally have their homeland.

A Struggle for Home: The Crimean Tatars is available to watch for free on Amazon Prime. It can be found here.

— Story and photo by Rick Sinnett