Voice of Ukraine

From Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (493rd day):

It was past midnight when I finished reading a book last night. It was a fascinating novel about Crimea before its annexation. The main character there is a Ukrainian, but the book helps understand better the people who are native to Crimea – Crimean Tatars. It was really enlightening in many ways. I also realized that I had grown up with a lot of Soviet propaganda negative stereotypes about these people who in 1944 suffered ethnic cleansing, genocide and mass deportation at Stalin’s order. 230,000 people were exiled from their own land. Ruzzian families moved into the homes of Crimean Tatars. For 45 years, Tatars were not allowed to return back to Crimea. Only after Soviet Union collapsed, they started returning to Crimea. But even when deportation was recognized as a crime, there was a lot of hostility towards returning Tatars. Those who lived in their homes were afraid that Tatars would start claiming their rights.

The last pages of the novel describe the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and, how Tatars were persecuted again by ruzzians, how they were the most pro-Ukrainian citizens of Crimea. The book ended with the current time when Crimea is still under occupation and the whole Ukraine is under ruzzian attack.

Turning the last page of the book made me want to get out of bed and go to my computer to reserve a table in a Crimean Tatar restaurant. I just wanted a touch and taste of that culture that I just read about!

So today Nick and I enjoyed our delicious dinner at Musafir! No wonder this place is so popular and crowded! We paid about $12 for this incredible meal, enjoyed live music and talked a lot about Crimea and Crimean Tatars.