Roughly 1,000 Crimean Tatars, the indigenous population of occupied Crimea, fled to Türkiye, escaping Russia’s mobilization drive for its war against Ukraine, according to Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Yasin Serim.
His words were reported by Tamila Tasheva, Ukraine’s Presidential representative in Crimea after a business visit to Türkiye.
Mobilization by the occupying state into its army in occupied territories is a violation of the Geneva Conventions, i.e. a war crime.
Russia announced partial mobilization on 21 September. Ukraine stressed that this is a Russian war crime and advised them to protest the mobilization.
Earlier, Tamila Tasheva reported that Crimean Tatars, who stood up against Russian occupation in 2014, were being disproportionately drafted into the Russian Army amid accusations that Russia is purposefully targeting national minorities.
Now Crimean Tatars disproportionately targeted in Russia’s mobilization drive – official