Efran Kudusov once owned a café in Yalta, the summer capital of Crimea. Now, his café is in Kyiv, as he was forced to leave Crimea in 2014 due to the Russian occupation.

"I left because I wanted justice and freedom. Because the Russian empire once again turned Ukraine and Crimea into a prison. My people are forced to live in a prison. Officially, it's called an occupation, but to me, it feels like a prison," Kudusov said.

Isa Akajev also left Crimea in 2014. For Crimean Tatars, the Russian occupation is a reminder of Stalin-era deportations. In 1944, all Crimean Tatars were deported to Central Asia. They were only able to return home 45 years later, as the Soviet Union began to collapse.

"When they deported us from Crimea, they destroyed our entire heritage. They destroyed all our cemeteries and mosques. They tried to erase our existence from human memory so that no one would know that such a people ever existed," said Akajev, a member of the Ukrainian military.

"Crimean Tatars as a nationality were forbidden. It wasn't possible to identify yourself as such in a census. We had no schools, no literature, no theaters," Kudusov explained.

The suffering of the Crimean Tatars began long before Stalin. In the 12th century, Russia occupied the Crimean Khanate.

A Ukrainian soldier with the call sign "Tatarin" (Tatar) belongs to the first generation of Crimean Tatars born in their homeland, Crimea.

"The 1944 deportation amounts to genocide – they tried to destroy an entire nation. There's a lot of talk about that deportation, but it was actually the sixth time. Since the 18th century, Russia has tried to cleanse the Crimean Peninsula of its indigenous people six times," said Tatarin.

To date, in addition to Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Canada have recognized the Crimean Tatar deportation. Will Estonia join them?

"This is very important to us. Estonia speaks about how all crimes committed by the Soviet Union against free nations, including the Crimean Tatars, must receive a just assessment. By doing so, we create the conditions for ensuring that such crimes will never again happen to the Crimean Tatars, to Estonians or to anyone else," said Refat Chubarov, chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.

Tatarin, a Ukrainian soldier, believes that one day Ukraine will liberate Crimea.

"Two years of fighting in the infantry taught me not to plan more than one or two days ahead. You never know what might happen tomorrow or the day after. You have a task for today, and today it must be done. I believe that Crimea will be liberated one day and that Ukraine's territorial integrity will be restored. Will I see that day? I don't know. Everything is in Allah's hands," he said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!