"Crimea's Annexation: A Template for Occupied Ukrainian Territories"

Ten years after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, the occupied Ukrainian peninsula has become a template for the oppression and repression of dissent, particularly targeting the indigenous Crimean Tatar community. Human rights activists like Lutfiye Zudiyeva and Emil Kurbedinov have faced arrests and harassment, while the UN reports systematic efforts to erase Ukrainian and Tatar identities, expropriate land, and coerce residents into obtaining Russian passports. Concerns are raised that Crimea serves as a model for other occupied Ukrainian regions, as Russia continues its propaganda efforts to conceal oppression under the guise of public investment and patriotism.