The reaction of Inci Bowman, the President of the International Committee for Crimea, to the article “SSix years and $20 billion in Russian investment later, Crimeans are happy with Russian annexation”, published on the website of “The Washington Post” on March 18, 2020. The article, among other things, states that in 2014, supposedly 39 percent of Crimean Tatars welcomed the “accession” of Crimea to Russia, and in 2019 this figure rose to 58%.
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First of all, I am focusing on Crimean Tatars living in Crimea and challenging the Levada survey results (58% of Crimean Tatars favor the current pro-Russian rule), as reported by the authors of this article. I have not said anything about the general population of Crimea and their preferences. I would like the authors to pay close attention to this high number, as those of us who know Crimean Tatars, find that this cannot be true.
It is very unfortunate that three social scientists affiliated with reputable educational institutions have lent their names to some dubious results of a survey conducted by a polling organization in Moscow. However respected a group Levada may be, the conclusion that 58 percent of Crimean Tatars consider Russian takeover of Crimea as “a positive move” simply cannot be true. The authors state: “A key change since 2014 has been a significant increase in support by Tatars, a Turkic Muslim population that makes up about 12 percent of the Crimean population. In 2014, only 39 percent of this group viewed joining Russia as a positive move, but this figure rose to 58 percent in 2019.”
Crimean Tatars, indigenous people of Crimea, have had long and contentious relations with Russia, and suffered greatly under the Soviet government. They became true victims of communism, subjected to repression, arrests, executions, death by starvation and forced relocation (mass deportation). They lost their homes and loved ones, and there is hardly any family untouched by Soviet atrocities. Many believe that Putin’s regime today is worse than the Soviet’s because the Soviets followed rules. What will the Crimean Tatars say when they are asked questions by a Moscow polling agency? Will they tell the truth or simply say “I don’t know.” Perhaps they will decline to participate. Without knowing the history and culture of an ethnic group, a simple acceptance of the results of a poll leads to distortion of reality and contributes to the disinformation emanating from Moscow. It is also unfortunate that this study was supported by public funds (i.e. National Science Foundation.)
Inci Bowman,
the President of the International Committee for Crimea