October 19, 2025

CHICAGO — During a strategic meeting at Ukraine’s Consulate General, leaders of the Crimean Tatar Foundation USA presented an initiative to raise awareness in American political and public discourse about the genocide of Ukraine’s indigenous people, Crimean Tatars as the autochthonous nation of Crimea, under Russian occupation and the strategic importance of returning all occupied territories to Ukraine. The necessity of such work was confirmed by the results of the foundation’s recent delegation to Congress, which identified a significant gap: in the current narrative about the war in Ukraine on Capitol Hill, Crimea and Crimean Tatar context are almost completely absent.

Zera Mustafaieva, the Crimean Tatar Foundation’s president, and Zarema Mustafaieva, vice president, met with Consul General Serhiy Koledov on November 5 to discuss strategic partnership in protecting the rights and freedoms of Crimean Tatars and coordinating joint efforts toward the de-occupation of the Crimean Peninsula.

The message from the leaders of the only U.S.-based organization focused on Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian issues. American lawmakers remain largely unaware that Ukraine’s indigenous Crimean Tatar people faces what human rights advocates characterize as ongoing (since 2014) genocide under Russian occupation.

“There is a complete absence of awareness about Ukraine’s indigenous people in the context of the war,” the CTF USA noted, describing the communications gap identified during their Capitol Hill work following a series of meetings with congressmembers and their representatives in Washington D.C. The consulate meeting aimed to coordinate messaging between Ukrainian diplomatic channels and expert education to address this critical gap.

Both parties agreed to coordinate advocacy efforts directed at U.S. Congress members, Illinois state legislators, and other authorities within the consular district to advance recognition of the Russian Federation’s criminal actions against the Crimean Tatar nation as genocide. Such recognition would carry significant legal and diplomatic weight, opening pathways for more decisive action by the international community.

The parties also agreed to develop a draft Memorandum of Understanding to formalize cooperation in the spheres of human rights advocacy, cultural and academic diplomacy. The document will serve as a foundation for systematic work toward holding the Russian Federation internationally accountable.

The strategic approach of the Crimean Tatar Foundation’s president and vice president, moving from congressional meetings to diplomatic coordination, reflects a sophisticated understanding of how policy change occurs in Washington D.C. By aligning their expert educational work with official Ukrainian diplomatic channels, they seek to incorporate the rights of the indigenous Crimean Tatar nation into the broader narrative of the war in Ukraine.

Purdue University researcher Zera Mustafaieva emphasizes that the foundation’s work is built on providing scientifically grounded information and expert assessments to policymakers and the public, filling a critical gap in understanding the historical and contemporary situation of Crimean Tatars.

History repeats itself as the absence of Crimean Tatar state institutions once again leaves the nation defenseless against policies of destruction. The 2014 Russian occupation reproduced the historical pattern of destroying the Crimean Tatar national group as such. In 2016, the Russian Federation liquidated the Mejlis, declaring it an alleged "extremist organization," repeating the actions of 1783 and 1918. This illegal decision deprived Crimean Tatars of their legitimate representative body and once again placed Ukraine's indigenous people in conditions of total defenselessness against state terror.Citation from the NGO "Crimean Solidarity" 

Since 2014, under Russian occupation, Crimean Tatars have been subjected to systematic persecution that human rights organizations qualify as ongoing genocide. Disappearances, torture, fabricated criminal cases on terrorism and extremism charges, closure of Crimean Tatar schools and media, seizure of religious institutions and cultural monuments have become daily reality. History repeats itself as the systematic destruction of Crimean Tatar institutions once again leaves the nation defenseless against policies of genocide.

The foundation expressed sincere gratitude to Consul General Serhiy Koledov for the open, constructive dialogue and consistent support of Ukraine’s indigenous people in their struggle for the return of Crimea and all occupied territories.