28 July 2025

CEPA Published an Article on the Preservation of the Crimean Tatar Language

On July 24, 2025, the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) published an article titled «Behind the Lines: Crimean Tatars Battle to Save their Language.» The piece highlights the struggle of Crimean Tatar linguists to safeguard their language, which is at risk of extinction due to Russia’s repressive policies in occupied Crimea.

Key points:

1. The Crimean Tatar language has been listed by UNESCO as endangered due to generations of forced deportations and Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea. Preserving it is central to the fight to protect the culture, identity, and history of the Indigenous peoples of the peninsula.
2. The number of schools and courses taught in Crimean Tatar has drastically declined. In 2014, prior to the occupation, there were 384 such programs on the peninsula; now only 119 remain. When parents apply, they are often told that no spots are available and are instead offered classes in Russian.
3. Crimean Tatar philology is currently taught as a separate academic discipline at several universities. A National Commission on the Crimean Tatar Language operates as well, and private tutors and independent language courses have emerged across the country.
4. In 2023, Chabanova joined a language initiative at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, and hundreds of students have already completed courses in the Crimean Tatar language.

Read the full article at the link: https://cutt.ly/arALHxJG