Ukraine to restore original Crimean Tatar names to geographical objects in occupied Crimea

Historical names in the Crimean Tatar language will be reinstated for geographic locations in temporarily occupied Crimea. 

According to the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, this decision was discussed at a National Commission on Crimean Tatar Language meeting, Rubryka reports.

The use of the Crimean Tatar language will apply to toponyms with Turkic origins or historical Crimean Tatar designations. The preparation of this decision aligns with the "Law on Condemning and Prohibiting the Propaganda of Russian Imperial Politics in Ukraine and Decolonizing Toponymy."

"Mechanisms are currently being coordinated to apply the writing of toponyms using Latin script in media and scientific works," the announcement said.

Names will also be changed on road signs and in the production of maps in communication with operators of cartographic services and services that maintain such signs.

The National Commission has instructed the government to develop the relevant decision. The Ministry of Infrastructure, together with the Ministry of Reintegration, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, and the Institute of National Memory will address this matter.

Background

After the deportation of Crimean Tatars in May 1944, the Soviet authorities changed the toponyms of Crimea to erase the memory of the peninsula's real history and its indigenous people. Over 90% of Crimean names had Crimean Tatar origins before this period, according to historians.

The USSR initially changed the names of districts and district centers, followed by cities, towns, and villages. The most significant renaming occurred on the fourth anniversary of the deportation, on May 18, 1948.

Over a thousand historical names were altered, and historians don't even attempt to count the number of renamed streets, squares, and parks.

As a step towards enabling artificial intelligence to speak not only Ukrainian but also Crimean Tatar, the Ukrainian startup Respeecher initiated a project to collect the voices of Crimean Tatar language speakers.