On Monday, 9 September, Kyiv hosted a roundtable meeting ‘Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine: main problems and ways to solve them’, organised by the research company ‘Active Group’ and the All-Ukrainian NGO Institute ‘Republic’.
The focus of the roundtable was to discuss the challenges and opportunities of temporarily occupied Crimea.
Among those invited to participate in the event were representatives of public organisations, state and local authorities dealing with the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, Eskender Bariiev, Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Centre, member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, took part in the discussion.
Within the framework of the roundtable, the participants discussed a series of public opinion surveys among the residents of the occupied territories, which were conducted by the research company ‘Active Group’.
Based on the collected data and the expert opinions of the roundtable participants, the organisers summarised and systematised the current problems of the residents of the temporarily occupied territories, as well as outlined the prospects for solving these problems.
Eskender Bariiev during his speech noted the difficulties of obtaining objective information from the occupied territories.
‘To study the situation in the occupied territories is a very difficult process. We realise that it is difficult, and in many cases impossible, to obtain objective information. Respondents are afraid to express their real views because of constant supervision and pressure from the occupation authorities,’- he noted.
At the same time, the expert drew attention to the fact that only 10 people were interviewed for in-depth interviews, which, in his opinion, is not enough for a complete picture.
‘For a qualitative analysis of the situation, more respondents are needed, especially when it comes to such a complex and sensitive topic as public opinion in the occupied territories,’ -he stressed.
Eskender Bariiev particularly noted the difference in the ethnic composition of different regions of Crimea. According to him, such regions as Feodosia, Kerch and Alupka were traditionally populated predominantly by ethnic Russians.
‘In Feodosia, more than 70 per cent of the population is Russian, and in Kerch even more. It is important to take this into account when researching their sentiments,’ – he noted.
And speaking about the northern districts, in particular Dzhankoy district, not only ethnic Russians, but also Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars live there, which also affects public opinion and requires more detailed analysis.
One of the positive aspects Bariiev called the Crimeans’ preservation of their identity.
‘The mentality of the Crimeans has been preserved. They try to position themselves as a separate subculture and do not perceive newcomers, even Russians who settled in Crimea after the occupation,’ – Bariev stressed.
The Chairman of the Board of the CTRC emphasised that there are now several categories of people in Crimea, whose opinion should still be taken into account in different ways.
‘One category: those who have become collaborators, have started to co-operate with the Russian administration. The second are those who constantly and systematically support Ukraine and try to resist. The third category is the swamp, that is, the category that does not care, the main thing is that there is no war, there are no problems, there is a good pension, there is food, etc. The fourth category is Russians who came to Crimea illegally,’ – he explained.
Bariiev noted that residents of the occupied Crimea, especially this ‘swamp’, are increasingly expressing dissatisfaction with living conditions.
‘Deterioration of medical services, reduction in the quality of food and price increases are the factors to which Crimeans react very acutely,’ – he said.
In addition, the expert paid special attention to young people who grew up after the occupation and do not know Ukraine as a state.
‘This is a new generation, which is formed in the conditions of Russian propaganda. Their ideas about Ukraine are very superficial or even absent,’ – he noted.
He also drew attention to the problem of mixed marriages and the birth of children in these families, which creates additional challenges for the reintegration of Crimea.
The findings of the round table will be taken into account during a new wave of research on the problems of VOT, which the company ‘Active Group’ plans to implement and publicise to provide relevant information to representatives of NGOs and authorities working with the temporarily occupied territories.