Diaspora’s War and Peace: Crimean Tatar Anti-Colonial Struggle against Russia During the Russian-Ukrainian War

This study examines the role the Crimean Tatar diaspora and forced migrants play in the Russian-Ukrainian War starting from the occupation of Crimea in 2014 up to the present. The Crimean Tatars experienced complete de-territorialization in 1944, and transnationalism became a significant characteristic of their nation, despite some individuals returning to their homeland. We consider all four communities of Crimean Tatars as transnational and focus on the following groups: the ‘diaspora,’ predominantly originating in the 19th century and mainly residing in Turkey, Romania, and the United States; the community that repatriated to their homeland in the 1990s, facing Russian oppression in Crimea after 2014; the community displaced to mainland Ukraine after 2014 and the forced migrants in Turkey since 2014. In this article, we aim to address the following questions: How did the diaspora and forced migrants attempt to influence the conflict, particularly concerning Crimea? Can we comprehend their role as peacemakers or peacebreakers? We propose moving beyond the peacemaker/peacebreaker dichotomy and understanding the actions of the Crimean Tatar diaspora and forced migrants from the perspective of positive peace, focusing on decolonization and transitional justice. Our research is based on the case study of the Crimean Tatar transnational communities since the Russian occupation of Crimea until today, utilizing interviews with Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians, participant observation at two different time points, and content analysis of relevant documents and media.