"They will not pass!"

Crimean Tatar activists block the movement of freight vehicles on the Perekop Isthmus

The action of Ukrainian political activists and the Crimean Tatars, entitled "Civil Blockade of Crimea" can last until its organizers see "clear signals" from the Russian side on their readiness to fulfill their requirements. So, in an interview with Radio Liberty , the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov , put it in an interview with Radio. The organizers of the "civilian blockade" achieve the liberation of the Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia and raise the question of the "de -knowledge" of the peninsula. Volokarov workers volunteers are distributed between three checkpoints-Kalanchak, Chongar and Chaplinka.

The movement of commercial trucks on the roads going to the Crimea along land from the Kherson region has been blocked for more than a day. In Russia, the organizers of the blockade rejoice, in fact, only one way to supply Crimea remained-through the Kerch Strait, which is slower and less reliable due to the weather and low throughput of the crossing, moreover, significantly more expensive.

"Blockade measures" at the Chongar checkpoint opened on Sunday by a half-rally and prayer. The head of the Mejlis announced: "From now on, not a single truck in the Crimea will pass." In addition to Refat Chubarov, the audience was the owner of the Crimean television channel ATR Lenur Islyamov and the press secretary of the Right Sector party (in Russia it is considered an extremist organization and is prohibited) Artem Skoropadsky. Then about a hundred people blocked the road leading from the Kherson region to the peninsula, moving on one side of the highway to the other - cars and minibuses passed the blockade line unhindered, trucks and trailers lingered. Several deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, who blocked the highway with their personal vehicles, took a direct part in the "blockade events".

According to Refat Chubarov , leader of the Crimean Tatar people, the organizers hope for the assistance of the Kiev authorities in regard to the supply of Ukrainian citizens who remained in the annexed Crimea to all necessary:

- The ultimate goal of our campaign is the deaccuration of Crimea. Russian troops must leave the peninsula. But we perfectly understand: one action cannot be achieved. We perceive our action as one of the steps to force Russia to return to the framework of international law, to leave all Ukrainian territories, including, of course, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. At the same time, we attract the attention of the international community to a total violation of human rights in the Crimea occupied by Russia. We pay attention to the fact that many Crimean Tatars are illegally deprived of freedom. And they are victims of judicial arbitrariness. The seven Crimean Tatars, including the Deputy Chairman of the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Akhtem Chigoiz, have been in prison for the fact that even before February 27, 2014 (until the moment when Russian "green men" appeared in Crimea) participated in rallies in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. We have an egregious violation of human rights in relation to Oleg Sentsov - twenty years of conclusion to a person who adequately manifests himself as a patriot of his country! Ten years of imprisonment Alexander Kolchenko!

We thought out all the options so that citizens of Ukraine would not suffer in the Crimea

We demand that in the territory of the occupied Crimea - until the moment when the Russian troops leave him - the international monitoring group was constantly located as part of the UN special mission. Actually, these goals determined the "civil blockade of Crimea." We thought out all the options so that citizens of Ukraine would not suffer in Crimea. We do not want to create problems, so we offer the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to create special food bases in the Kherson region so that any citizen of Ukraine from Crimea can leave and buy everything you need.

- It seems that the reaction of the Kiev authorities to this action is alert. There are those who reason like this: the blockade of Crimea is a demonstration of power, the organizers of the action to power in Crimea claim.

- I can only say one thing: in the most dangerous time for the Ukrainian state, it was the Crimean Tatars who demonstrated committed the idea of independence of Ukraine. Crimean Tatars never allowed even a shadow of doubt about someone about their position. The Civil Blockade of Crimea is an initiative to stimulate the Ukrainian state to search for the most effective ways to protect the rights of its citizens in the Crimea. Since the occupation of Crimea in Ukraine, two fundamental law have been adopted: one of them (in April 2014) applies to the protection of the rights of citizens of Ukraine in the occupied territories, the second (August 2014) - on the free economic zone in the Crimea. If the first law does not work, because there are no effective ways of its implementation, then the second works in full. We would like to balance the possibilities of these two laws: on the one hand, try to find effective ways to protect the rights of citizens living in the occupied Crimea, and on the other hand, to provide them with the necessary goods, including food, so that this does not create "gray" schemes, does not make it possible to intensify the invaders in the Crimea.

- You do not admit that the reaction of the Russian authorities to what is happening now in the Crimea can be tough in relation to those who organized this blockade?

What can be predicted if the rulers of Russia do not comply with either their own or international laws?

- I do not exclude anything when we are talking about the actions of the Russian authorities. In the Russian state, there have long been no boundaries in the field of observance of human rights, in the field of relations between the authorities and civil society. Russian rulers are unpredictable in their actions in relation to their own citizens, as well as citizens of a foreign state. The rulers of the Russian state have violated their own legislation - the contract on friendship and cooperation between Russia and Ukraine. The President of Russia violated the Constitution of Russia, because it was in the Russian Constitution that it was stated that the actions of international treaties are mandatory.

- Can this blockade really be unlimited?

We are ready for a weekly format, and for the month and for a longer

- We, opening yesterday, the rally, which the beginning of the blockade of the Crimea, said that we were ready for different temporary frames. We are ready for a weekly format, and for monthly and longer. Everything will depend on many factors. Let's say, from further relations between Russia and Ukraine regarding the execution of the Minsk agreements. As you know, unrecognized illegal formations of the DPR and LPR appointed elections to the territories controlled by militants on October 18 and November 1. It is clear that the leaders of these formations will not make half a step without the consent of Moscow. It seems that Moscow, in fact, approving such elections, is leaving the Minsk agreement.

-Are you ready for any negotiations with representatives of Moscow to continue this blockade or on the conditions of its termination?

- All negotiations with Russia should go exclusively at the state level. Everything that is being done today from the occupation authorities in relation to the Crimean Tatars is outside any law. If the seven Crimean Tatars are released, which are illegally imprisoned if the illegally convicted Oleg Sentsov and Alexander Kolchenko is released, this will serve as certain signals for us. But will Russia give them? -said Refat Chubarov in an interview with Radio Freedom, the head of the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people.

The Crimean activist and blogger Elizaveta Bogutskaya left the peninsula shortly after his annexation by Russia. Now she is located in Jongar and is involved in the shares of blocking food supplies from Ukraine to Crimea. In an interview with Radio, Liberty Bogutskaya spoke about the requirements of the participants of the action addressed both to Russia and to the authorities of Ukraine, about the attitude of the Crimeans themselves and about whether Russia should wait for Russia's aggressive response to the product blockade of the peninsula:

For some reason, it turns out that the occupier takes the earth for himself, displaces people from this land, and those who rejoice in the invader should feed Ukraine

- I left Crimea a few months after the occupation. And all this time, literally from the second day, as Crimea, according to Putin, was part of the Russian Federation, I insisted that the product, energy and water blockade of Crimea was needed. If the invading assumes obligations to maintain land, he must take on obligations to maintain people. That's right, it is accepted all over the world. But for some reason, we succeed like this: the invader takes the land for himself, displaces people from this land, and those who rejoice in the invader should feed Ukraine. We did not quite agree that our government had previously introduced a “civilian” blockade - restrictions on moving people from Crimea to Ukraine and from Ukraine to Crimea. These restrictions were unnecessary, because those who supported Russia and took the side of Russia calmly go to Ukraine by cars with Ukrainian numbers, are in Ukraine for some time, despite the fact that ordinary citizens who have relatives here cannot leave the Crimea or cannot enter it. And the product blockade should be.

- What are the requirements of the organizers of the blockade?

- This term is generally incorrect - "blockade". It's not about the blockade of Crimea. We stop smuggling from Ukraine to Russia through Crimea. The primary requirements for the Russian Federation are as follows. Russia must release all our prisoners of freedom, up to Oleg Sentsov and Nadezhda Savchenko. Many Crimeans, including Crimean Tatars, are under pressure from special services, FSB, Russian courts. All of them must be released. Repressions against the Crimean Tatars, against Ukrainians who are living in Crimea, should be stopped. For the Ukrainian side, we also have our own requirements - this is the ban on smuggling from Ukraine to Russia through Crimea and the abolition of the free economic zone in the Crimea. There cannot be a free economic zone in the occupied territory. Our ultimate goal for which we gathered here is the return of Crimea to Ukraine. Naturally, this will not happen tomorrow. But I think what we have now undertaken is the first steps to somehow change the course of history.

Crimean Tatar activists block the movement of freight vehicles on the Perekop Isthmus

It’s inappropriate to say that Putin will break through the “grocery corridor” to the Crimea through Mariupol. He is now breaking through in Syria

Many of our deputies, of course, are categorically against such a blockade. They say that we are dealing a very strong blow to the economy of Ukraine, its agriculture. In response, I would like to say - if so, in order for the economy of Ukraine to blossom in an unusual way, you need to take the entire Russian army for maintenance, up to Kamchatka. There are moral principles. We are in moral positions. Aksenov the day before yesterday at some briefing in Crimea said that only 5% of the shelves in stores are occupied by Ukrainian goods, and the rest is Russian products that are imported from Russia to Crimea by sea. But we counted yesterday the number of trucks that we wanted to travel to the Crimea, it is equal to the period to the occupation! Therefore, if 5% of the trucks of those who go to the Crimea should get to the shelves of stores, where the rest will go?! We know where and how the trucks are overloaded, how numbers change to them to leave Crimea through the Strait to Russia. The entire Krasnodar Territory is equipped with Ukrainian products. Some of the products are immediately sent to military units, where Russian soldiers are now based in Crimea. In Moscow there is a Crimean Compound store, where the Crimean products are sold exclusively. How, tell me, can a truck go through the strait to the Krasnodar Territory with meat if the meat is not produced in Crimea?! Where did it come from in the Crimea then?

- You probably have many friends and friends in the Crimea. What do they say about this action? Do they support it, despite the possible negative consequences for themselves?

- Absolutely all my friends support. Moreover, they say that the blockade had to start much earlier. I believe that it’s just time to do it right now, although I insisted on this before. But it was clear that there would be a very powerful opposition if it were a year ago.

- And what has changed over the year? What forces have lost their influence and the opportunity to resist this?

- Putin has lost influence in Ukraine. Putin cannot move on. We are well aware that the forces that he spent in the Donbass are rolled away, forces are now redirected to Syria. It is inappropriate to say that he will break through the “grocery corridor” to the Crimea through Mariupol. He is now breaking through some corridors in Syria. He now has no strength, no resources and, it seems to me, there is no desire to engage in these corridors, since it will be very costly and too tiring for him from the point of view of resources. In addition, the UN Security Council will soon sit, where Putin will make some report. I do not think that in the near future there will be some reaction to our events that take place here from the Russian side.

Putin will not break through the "grocery corridor" into the Crimea through Mariupol. He is now breaking through in Syria

- Is it possible now to judge the effectiveness of the "blockade" of Crimea?

- I think yes. We have very powerful support from our volunteer battalions. Good support from people, that is, a human, civilian resource is constantly updated. Yesterday someone said correctly-this is the Crimean Maidan. People arrive. We will stand here until we achieve our requirements, this is for sure. Naturally, part of the truckers (not all of them, however, truckers, many simply from Kherson to Crimea carry products) are unhappy with these events. Many of them say that they are large fathers, they need to feed families, etc. But we have many children here. People were injured. Why should some live normally at the expense of others?! We suggest that Ukraine change the legislative framework for the free economic zone from Crimea to go to the Kherson region. And the main trading borders were set precisely before the border in the Crimea, and not behind it.

- Is this a public, civil action? Or was it prepared with the authorities? Do border guards, customs officers, local authorities support the blockade?

- This is a purely civil action. We do not use strength. We do not use weapons. Local authorities, Kherson, are completely cooperating with us. Police and the military too. The full order is preserved. There are no aggressive attacks from the truck drivers. Naturally, there is discontent. We are trying to explain that it is groundless that they can earn here - yes, less, but this does not mean that hungry riots will begin in their families.

- How much do these drivers earn for each "hand" in the Crimea, when compared with the usual work in the rest of the Ukrainian territory?

- twice as much. Everyone earns differently, but they all say that they earn twice as much in the Crimea. Why not earn twice as much?! After all, Ukrainian products in the Crimea, which is located on the shelves, which is proud of Aksenov, it also became several times more expensive in Crimea than in Ukraine. And of course, why. Because if the truck drivers earn twice as much, then how many times should the products cost? Nevertheless, they are sold out. Even those who support Russia do not agree to change the Ukrainian product to Russian, ”says Elizabeth Bogutskaya .

In Kyiv, the initiative of the leaders of the Crimean Tatars to block goods for Crimea caused an ambiguous reaction. The director of the Institute of Global Strategies Vadim Karasev notes: such shares of Crimea cannot be returned to Ukraine, and the current blockade most likely has mainly a political goal:

The Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people, whose leadership lives in Kyiv, needs to do something. Therefore, what - to wait further, watch how the peninsula floats?

- Attraction to the problem of the Crimean Tatars and the situations on the peninsula after his annexation by Russia on the eve of the UN General Assembly session - this is what is about. Of course, we can talk about some political effect. They need to do something: the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people, whose leadership lives in Kyiv. Therefore, what - to wait further, watch how the peninsula floats? It is necessary to conduct political activity, and not to be, so to speak, by the Government of the Crimean Tatars in exile. But what does it give to Ukraine? Only enhances instability around the perimeter of the boundaries. Ведь больших экономических и геополитических смыслов эта акция не имеет. Блокада будет постепенно сворачиваться, она начинает приобретать деструктивный характер, поскольку эстафету блокирующих подхватывают “Правый сектор” и полк “Азов”. Они уже объявили о готовности блокировать и границу Украины с Приднестровьем. Это может радикализировать общество. Поэтому украинская власть очень осторожно реагирует на блокаду Крыма – точнее, фактически не реагирует, если не считать Михаила Саакашвили.

Как заявил в интервью "Эспрессо TV" бывший президент Грузии, одесский губернатор Михаил Саакашвили , блокаду Крыма нужно было проводить на официальном уровне, а не силами общественных и организаций и активистов с оружием. "Государство никому не должно отдавать монополию на использование силы", – подчеркнул Саакашвили. О том, почему украинские власти отмежевались от экономической блокады Крыма, рассуждает руководитель Института политического кризиса Степан Гавриш :

В Украине власть – купеческая, она хочет сотрудничать и с Крымом, и с Россией

– У нас власть – купеческая, она хочет сотрудничать и с Крымом, и с Россией. В сентябре минувшего года принят закон об особой экономической зоне на полуострове, позволивший эффективно сотрудничать – на уровне корпораций и "отдельного" бизнеса – с Крымом. Только за 20 сентября, если не ошибаюсь, было заблокировано 882 фуры, направлявшихся на оккупированную территорию. Это огромное количество. Понятно, что не менее половины – контрабанда, которая должна была пойти через Крым в Россию, но это и чувствительный удар и по прилавкам крымских магазинов, эта товарная блокада скажется на настроениях крымчан. Конечно же, наша власть не хочет сегодня провоцировать Москву, поэтому в Киеве с удовольствием наблюдают за акцией крымских татар. Я уверен, что лидеры крымских татар согласовывали свои действия с администрацией Порошенко, но, скорее всего, это было ультимативное согласование: дескать, мы проведем эту акцию. Украинская власть будет наблюдать за акцией и отказываться от комментариев на эту тему.

Российские власти Крыма уверяют, что жители полуострова смогут обойтись без украинских товаров. По словам главы республики Сергея Аксенова, в течение двух недель их полностью заменят российскими продуктами: "Я уверен, что цель этой акции – личное обогащение организаторов и отработка уже ранее выданных авансов. Более бессмысленной и бестолковой акции я не видел. Цель этой акции – занять от безделья своих националистов, которые как раз в палатках там отдохнут, отъедятся, водки вечером им нальют". По мнению Аксенова, жители полуострова не ощутят последствий блокады: "У всех "сетевиков" давно заключены контракты с сельхозпроизводителями Крыма, Российской Федерации. У нас полностью подготовлены площадки для ярмарок в сельхозрайонах для того, чтобы крымские сельхозпроизводители могли сбывать без проблем продукцию, чтобы граждане доступ имели к более дешевому продукту".

В понедельник центром продовольственной блокады, как сообщается на сайте проекта Радио Свобода "Крым.Реалии" , стал поселок Новоалексеевка, в котором расположен рынок, где фермеры обычно разгружают бахчевые культуры, овощи и фрукты.

Fragment of the final issue of the Freedom Time program