“What do we know about Crimea?” is a 6-episode podcast exploring the history of Crimea and the Crimean Tatars to better understand the peninsula's past, its ties to Ukraine, and how that past influences us today.

Episode 4. Why didn't Crimea join the UPR in 1917? Kurultai, autonomy, and the Crimean People's Republic

Why didn't Crimea join the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1917? What role did the Crimean Tatars, the Kurultai, the concept of autonomy, and the Crimean People's Republic play in the political turmoil of 1917?

Following the fall of the russian empire in 1917, Crimea found itself in total uncertainty. It was then that the Crimean Tatars got their first opportunity in over a century to speak out about their own political future.

In this video, Andrii Ivanets, PhD in History, shares the story of the 1917 Crimean Tatar revolution, the creation of national self-governing bodies, the election of Noman Çelebicihan as mufti, key contacts with the Ukrainian Central Rada, the convening of the Kurultai, and the proclamation of the Crimean Democratic Republic.

We also examine women's active participation in political life, Şefiqa Gasprinskiy, the "Crimean Tatar Basic Laws," the vision of Crimea as a democratic space for all its residents, and why this ambitious political project was cut short.

This podcast was created by Crimea Vox with the support of International Media Support (IMS).