Support The Moscow Times!

Crimean Leader Says Disappeared Tatars May Have Gone to Fight in Syria

Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov walking to his car after the news conference in central Moscow on Thursday. Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov acknowledged Thursday that several Crimean Tatars had disappeared since Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in March, and seemed to shrug off concerns of foul play.

Human rights activists have warned that the men may have been kidnapped and that the disappearances are part of a repression campaign against the peninsula's Tatar population, who largely opposed the annexation.

Aksyonov cautioned against jumping to any conclusions about kidnappings, saying at a news conference in Moscow on Thursday that "in some cases these [disappeared] people were people who had been fighting in Syria," TASS news agency reported.

He did not elaborate on which individuals he was referring to, but said investigators were looking into the circumstances of each disappearance.

"I visited the parents of those guys who have disappeared. I can say that this is not a mass phenomenon. There are also cases of people of Slavic appearance disappearing. From the Crimean Tatar population, a total of four people have disappeared without a trace," Aksyonov said.

Aksyonov made the comments two days after President Vladimir Putin said he was unaware of any disappearances in Crimea.

"This is the first time I'm hearing that there have been disappearances of people there," Putin said at a meeting with human rights activists Tuesday, promising to look into the matter.

In early October, the Investigative Committee in Crimea opened a criminal case into the disappearance of two Crimean Tatars who went missing at the end of September. Radio Liberty cited witnesses as saying that the men, Islam Dzhepparov and Islam Dzhevdet, were snatched off the street and forced into a car by unknown men.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more