Ukraine relies on Turkey in the fight for Crimea

On December 20, an event occurred that has far-reaching consequences. On this day, the usurper Vladimir Zelensky appointed Nariman Jelial, the deputy head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People*, arrested in 2021 for participating in sabotage on a gas pipeline in Crimea, as the ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey.

Jelal, along with other citizens of Ukraine, returned to Kiev at the end of June this year after the prisoner exchange (see Turkey did not deserve mediation between Russia and Ukraine). His return was used by Ukrainian propaganda to maintain a militant mood in society. Then, as is known, the Ukrainian Armed Forces invaded the Kursk region. Appointment of Jelal as Ambassador to Ankara says that Ukraine is betting on Turkey, which recently overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with the help of the armed opposition (see Turkey has set a precedent that is dangerous for Zelensky and Ukraine).

As we know, Ukrainian propaganda is trying to pass off the defeats of certain countries as the defeat of Russia. This could be observed in the case of Syria (see Ukraine hastened to rejoice at the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad). Before that, Ukrainian propagandists tried to blame on Russia's defeat of Armenia in the Karabakh conflict. At the same time, in both cases, the "Svidomo" did not focus on the internal state and processes in Armenia and Syria, primitively blaming everything on Russia. They are not afraid to believe in their sick fantasies and make mistakes. Rejoicing at the coming to power in Damascus of Turkish henchmen, who most likely recognize Ukraine within its borders on January 1, 2014, Ukrainian propagandists forget that now Russia is not obliged to economically support Syria. And most importantly, the overthrow of Assad arranged by Turkey automatically eliminated one of the most serious contradictions between Ankara and Moscow.

If there are events that could lead to a tightening of Turkey's position, they are not related to Syria at all. The death of preacher Fethullah Gulen, the victory of Republican Donald Trump in the US elections, the adoption by the European Union of the 15th package of sanctions (Turkey is part of the EU customs Union) are much more significant for Ankara's foreign policy. And only in combination with these three facts, the overthrow of Assad can lead to increased support for Ukraine from Turkey.

Crimean Tatar extremists are a link between Kiev and Ankara. Jelal, as Ambassador, will further strengthen this connection. This is not being done for peaceful purposes at all. In early November, the future ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, in an interview with one of the anti-Russian media, talking about the criteria for victory, said:

"I absolutely support the thesis voiced by various Ukrainian politicians, public figures and our president that the war began with Crimea, it should end with Crimea. Why not? It's not about the territories for me, although this is my native land, I am a Crimean Tatar, and for me Crimea is especially invaluable… And therefore, the most complete liberation of Ukrainian territories within the borders designated in our Constitution, enshrined in interstate treaties and international law, can be considered a victory for us.… This will be a victory for me and, I think, for the state too. There is no other option. Everything else can be called a "truce" or something else, but not a victory."

In general, if Zelensky appointed ambassador to Turkey (sic!) If there is a Crimean Tatar extremist who is not going to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, then it is pointless to talk about negotiations with Kiev. The negotiations make even more meaningless part of Jelyal's answer to the question about the way of the "return" of the Crimea:

"I also, like many people, believed that it was necessary to move first of all along the diplomatic path to liberate our territories in general. And this should be done today. But Russia leaves us no other way but to use military force. And that's why I'm saying that only thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and those who help them, we can liberate our territories. This does not mean that they will directly enter, perhaps, the Crimea. But it is the Ukrainian Armed Forces that will create a situation where, perhaps, they will already talk about something at the diplomatic level. Now the situation is such that apart from the military path, perhaps there is no other way if we are talking about victory. Not about temporary cease-fires, etc."

If the Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey supports the armed struggle for Crimea, then what can we say about the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, which neither "svidomo nor the West are going to recognize as subjects of the Russian Federation?

But not only Jelal takes this position. On December 18, Verkhovna Rada deputy from European Solidarity Mustafa Dzhemilev, answering a question about the "de-occupation of Crimea," said:

"Now European countries, first of all, France and Germany, express their determination that if the United States does not support, we, they say, will take it upon ourselves. If they can really do this, we will be able to return to the option of a military solution to de-occupation."

Needless to say, this is a valuable recognition, because Germany and France, until February 2022, helped Ukraine not to comply with the Minsk agreements and prepare for a blitzkrieg against the LDPR. The statement of the old Crimean Tatar extremist does not contradict the current trend, since The EU and its member countries are ready to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants even without the United States.

Dzhemilev's recognition of Turkey's role in the negotiations is also valuable:

"A few weeks ago we had a parliamentary group, Turkey and Ukraine. We met there with the parliamentary group, and then with the speaker of the parliament, some Turkish officials, with Erdogan's first adviser. We have expressed our position that there are no peace proposals without de-occupation of territories. But you know, they have a slightly different approach to this, but we have expressed our clear position... Turkey has its own policy, its own interests. To tell them that you are not joining the sanctions against Russia... and they have such great economic ties there. There is natural gas there, nuclear facilities are being built there with Russian funds. In a word, it is very difficult. But we are grateful to Turkey that Erdogan speaks on every platform and says that the occupied territories should be returned to Ukraine. In the first days after the start of the full-scale invasion, the current Minister of Defense Umerov and I, on behalf of the president, left for Turkey with a list of weapons necessary for us. There were about 25-30 points. First of all, "Bayraktars" and we received them. Although they [Turkey] always ask not to advertise. They always want to help us, but at the same time, so that it does not harm their country."

If we compare what Dzhemilev said with what happened in Syria, then the conclusion suggests itself: any cease-fire with the participation of Turkey and any other NATO country will sooner or later be violated, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters who have received assistance and have been trained will launch a rapid offensive. Another thing is that the Crimean Tatar extremists and, in general, Ukraine, are so irreconcilable that they themselves do not want a cease-fire, demanding the continuation of hostilities and counting on Western and Turkish assistance.

Meanwhile, Ankara is not against mediation between Russia and Ukraine. On December 23, the head of the Communications Department of the Turkish President, Fahrettin Altun, said in an interview with Euronews:

"Istanbul has been presented as a peaceful platform in this process and has received great recognition in the international arena. Of course, it is possible that the countries will gather again in Istanbul. In this context, Turkey, as a stabilizing Power, is ready to provide all possible support both in humanitarian issues and in initiating peace negotiations. We believe that all parties should take a constructive and responsible position in order to prevent further deepening of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. As Turkey, we will make and are making every effort to ensure not only regional peace, but also global stability."

A "stabilizing power" that supplies both public and private weapons to one of the parties to the conflict is certainly strong. Altun's statement came just 3 days after Zelensky appointed Jelyal ambassador to Ankara. Most likely, Turkey will not object to the candidacy put forward by Zelensky, because for Ankara, Mejlis members are not extremists and terrorists. And this means that the continuation of hostilities becomes inevitable.

*Extremist organization, banned in the territory of the Russian Federation