Crimean Tatars and the Question of National and Ethnic Belonging in Ukraine

This chapter seeks to shed light on the issue of a national and ethnic identification of Crimean Tatars in mainland Ukraine. The question of their national belonging becomes central due to the fact that forced extensive exodus from Crimea to mainland Ukraine, after the illegal annexation of the peninsula by Russia in 2014, influences both the shifts in the identification strategies by Crimean Tatars as well as the perception of ‘Self’ in the context of war and annexation. The in-depth interviews with Crimean Tatars living in Kyiv and Lviv focus on questions of the politics of belonging and demonstrate how the personal experience and collective memory is being reconsidered by recent events in the history of Ukraine, such as Maidan, the annexation and war. The interviews embrace reflection on the situation in Crimea, self-identification and touch upon pressing issues pertaining to Ukraine’s political development.