Ainur (name changed) was drafted in the army in September (which corresponded to his own wish to join it) and served since then. According to him, there can be no doubts and no chops and changes in this matter: “... I was born here, I live here, and I protect my land as a man. What problems can Muslims, Christians, Buddhists have with that, when it’s about basic things? There’s your home, your Fatherland, and there comes someone and attacks it. How can one have doubts whether to join the army or not?”
A reconnaissance scout in 72nd separate mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ainur was born in Donets’k region, and his parents are native Crimeans who survived the deportation in 1944 and returned to Ukraine in 1957. At first he worked in the field of culture, and then tried to become a policemen. After he failed in that, he met Mr.Rashid Bragin in 2000 and joined his political party “Ukrainian Muslims”.
— I liked that their programme included solving problems of the returned Crimean Tatars. We, however, merged into the Party of Regions in 2005, and they told us that we were to solve those problems together. It became obvious some time later that no one was to solve any problems at all.
Ainur lost his interest in politics and left the party. He hopes that Crimea’s present indefinite status will change some time soon, moreover, he thinks that the peninsula will go its own way without joining neither Russia nor Ukraine.
— Russia will do everything to prevent Crimea from re-joining Ukraine. Ukraine also showed its… weakness in this matter. They shouldn’t just let it go. So there’s only one option left, I’m afraid: if there’s another referendum controlled by the USCE and other international institutions, most Crimeans are likely to wish being an independent Republic.
In 2014, during Maidan in Lyiv, Ainur facilitated Crimean Tatar Mejlis branch in Donetsk under the auspice of their Administration in Crimea. After the annexation, however, the process was frozen at the stage of about 50%.
He’s not the only Muslims in his troupe: there’s a guy from Kyiv of Tajik ethnic origin. There’s no luch limits in continuing religious practice at the military service, though halal food can’t always be found, but this is not the vital problem in severe cases: if a Muslim has a choice to either eat prohibited food or die of hunger, he is ordered by his religion to eat the prohibited food to save his live, and repent afterwards.
There are also practicing Christians in the troupe who attend the local Church (ironically, of Moscow Patriarchy) every Sunday, and Ainur speaks about them with great respect. He hasn’t met people of other religions yet, but still he’s sure that this war accelerated unity of the whole nation.
— There were numerous episodes when soviet officers of Crimean Tatar origin returned to Crimea, found their homes robbed and their relatives deported, and, to prevent losing senses, went to the Western Ukraine and joined the UPA (Ukrainian Rebel Army), and I understand them very well now. I would do the same if I lived in that period of time.
Ainur himself was a Komsomol member and a party member, until re realized that it all was a big lie. He believes that there’s a balance between the good and the evil, and as Putin did pretty much evil, God will help the “good guys” win.
— By the way, if you recollect the imperialistic wars — the Empires fell at their peak, as any Empire brings evil to the neighbouring territories, after which the God restores the balance. Was was with Hitler, Napoleon, Chingiz-Khan, so is to be with Putin. I am an ordinary man, but I understand that, And, God willing, we will get the result we fight for.
Ainur is full of determination to fight until the end, as long as his country needs him.
Source: society.lb.ua
