The recent appointment of Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar, as Ukraine's new defense minister has brought to the fore the role of Tatars in Ukraine's fight against Russia. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia speak with Rim Gilfanov, director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Tatar Bakhshir service, to shed light on Tatars: Where do they come from and what is the history of their relationship to Russia? To what extent can we think of Tatars as a coherent group with a shared identity? What has been the specific experience of Crimean Tatars under Moscow's rule as one of the largest non-Russian ethnic communities? Gilfanov also shares the work RFE/RL's Tatar Bakhshir service is doing to combat the spread of disinformation by the Russian regime.

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