Russia forces Ukrainians out of Crimea (part 1)

Ihor Movenko left his hometown of Simferopol in Crimea and moved to Kyiv after he was arrested twice for his pro-Ukrainian position, he says. Meanwhile, a native of Siberia Illia Bolshedvorov was packing his bags for Crimea soon after Russia proclaimed the peninsula its territory in March 2014. Together, the two men’s stories encapsulate the fate of Crimea after 2014.

Since Russia’s annexation, tens of thousands of ethnic Ukrainians have left the peninsula, often fleeing political persecution, human rights activists say. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Russians have moved in to take their place. This story is part one of a two-part series called “Losing our land,” which exposes Russia’s efforts to push Ukrainians out of Crimea and replace them with Russians.

Read the story here

Part two: Longing For Home: Crimean Tatar recalls harassment, torture in Russia-annexed Crimea