Crimea is now the part of Ukraine which has been occupied by Russia for the longest time.  More and more Ukrainian children are growing up knowing nothing but Russian occupation.  Russia invaded – and then illegally annexed – the peninsula over 11 years ago, despite the disbelief of the rest of the world: 100 countries immediately confirmed at the UN General Assembly that Crimea was part of Ukraine. 

I was last in Crimea a couple of years before Russia’s illegal annexation.  Pending an opportunity to return to this beautiful part of Ukraine, I made a "virtual" visit this week to better understand the latest human rights situation and to say very clearly that the UK has not forgotten about Crimea.

Based on my conversations with individuals and groups during this visit, there are three things that I want the world to think about.

Attacks on identity

I cannot think of anywhere else in Europe where cultural repression is taking place so blatantly and forcefully.

Cultural repression has been felt particularly acutely by the indigenous people of Crimea, including the Crimean Tatars. Speaking to some of them, I learnt how their culture is being suppressed in their own homeland. 

Crimean Tatar language and the Muslim religion are being marginalised, and important cultural buildings have been closed or destroyed by the Russian occupying authorities. 

This has included the forced closure of the Independent Crimean Tatar Mejlis – the executive body of the Crimean Tatar community. 

Citizens of Crimea who have refused to conform to new rules imposed by Russia face marginalisation and potential punishment for being themselves.  All religious groups other than the Russian Orthodox Church have been made to re-register and face intrusive monitoring or harassment for failing to do so. 

Jehovah’s Witnesses have faced relentless persecution in Crimea (as well as in other parts of Ukraine under temporary Russian occupation).  Freedom of religion or belief is a universal right, which is being cruelly disregarded.

Perhaps most significantly, Russian is now the only language of Crimea –

and the only language to be taught in schools – whereas Russian, Ukrainian and the Crimean Tatar language had all been spoken freely and harmoniously prior to 2014. 

I heard first-hand stories of people being given harsh administrative or even criminal punishments for using Ukrainian – even singing Ukrainian folk songs, which the Russian occupying authorities claim is undermining their war effort.

This is an unacceptable annihilation of identity.

Children

The impact of the occupation on children is particularly important.

There are some 282,000 school-age children in Crimea, who are now being taught according to a Russian curriculum. 

I heard how history books have been changed to present a Russian version of the peninsula’s past.  I listened to accounts of how teachers who refused to teach this curriculum were harassed, fired or even prosecuted on spurious charges.  Many, of course, have opted to leave Crimea.

Over 30,000 children in Crimea belong to the Russian patriotic children’s movement Yunarmiya. 

Yunarmiya trains Ukrainian children to support Russia’s war aims against their own country, including training in the use of weapons and readiness for the battlefield. 

I heard about Crimean children who were introduced to military exercises after the Russian occupation in 2014, and as young adults were sent into battle as part of the Russian army. 

Many, of course, have not returned: they have been killed fighting for an occupying power against their own country.  This is simply heartbreaking.

Demographic manipulation

Russia’s treatment of Crimea has created a kind of "Catch-22" for its citizens. 

Put simply, Crimeans who refuse to conform to Russia’s restrictive new rules often leave to other parts of Ukraine following intolerable harassment, persecution or punishment.  In many cases, properties have been seized and given to Russians who have moved from distant parts of Russia itself to take jobs as part of the occupying authorities. 

This is essentially colonisation, designed to change the ethnic and demographic make-up of the peninsula over time.

A young Crimean Tatar I spoke to described the day, not long after Russia’s invasion in 2014, when her class was made to assemble in the school gym and Russian passports were handed out to all. 

Whether Ukrainian citizens in Crimea have been "forced" to take Russian citizenship is moot: Russia may claim that people have chosen to take up an offer of nationality, but when it has been made impossible to take a mortgage, draw a pension, or access basic services including medical care without a Russian passport, there is in reality no real choice to speak of.

Russia’s occupation is not only impacting on political and demographic geography, but on the environment too. 

I heard how Russia’s heavy militarisation, as well as its attempts to reap Crimea’s natural resources, are eroding the rich ecosystem that makes Crimea such a special and unique place.

Why this matters to the UK

This matters as it is simply wrong.  There is now plentiful evidence of these violations – not just from my visit but from others including the impartial UN Monitoring Mission, since 2014.

Anyone who values identity, anyone who believes in children’s rights to be children and to make their own choices about their lives, should be deeply worried about what is happening today in Crimea.

But it also matters as it is a direct threat to European security. We have seen in history how attempts to redraw borders, manipulate demography and suppress human rights have led to tension and resistance, and sown the seeds for future conflict. This is not in the interests of Europe or the world more widely.

This is why the UK will stay focused on Crimea and other parts of Ukraine currently under Russian occupation. 

We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes to end Russia’s aggression and its impact on human rights.  Let us not ignore what is happening to Crimea.