Russia’s action in razing Rustem Useinov’s home to the ground was described in 2021 as a war crime. Now the same occupiers have taken away the 70-year-old’s trailer, his medicines and other items
Rustem Useinov in an interview to Crimean Solidarity
Rustem Useinov in an interview to Crimean Solidarity
The Russian occupiers have, for the second time, stripped 70-year-old Rustem Useinov of everything, including a roof over his head. The elderly veteran of the Crimean Tatar national movement had been forced to live, first in a tent, then in a trailer, for almost four years after the occupation regime demolished his home. Now they have taken that trailer, leaving him without even the medicine he needs to take every day, and other personal items.
Rustem Useinov’s home and garden were razed to the ground by the Russian occupiers on 24 November 2021. He had contracted pneumonia and had only been discharged from hospital the previous day. He did not witness the home that he had lived in for over two decades being demolished, because his blood pressure shot up so high that he was taken back to hospital.
Crimean Tatars were prevented from returning to their homeland for decades after Stalin’s Deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar people in 1944, a crime recognized in Ukraine as an act of genocide. In 1991, after Ukraine became independent, the Ukrainian authorities tried to redress the injustice to the extent that they invited all Crimean Tatars to return, but did very little to reinstate the economic rights of people who had been deprived of everything. In many cases, including, seemingly, that of Rustem Useinov, people built homes on unoccupied land, and were forced to then try to register it. Useinov had built a home in the village of Morske, but had not yet managed to register documents confirming his possession when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.
The illegal occupiers chose to view Useinov’s home a ‘squat’ and began procedure to drive him out. The Sudak occupation ‘administration’ applied to the local ‘court’ in summer for Useinov’s occupation of the land to be declared illegal. It did not bother to inform Useinov who only learned, after the supposed ‘court hearing’ on 3 August 2021, that the occupation ‘Sudak city ‘court’ had ruled that the land was illegally squatted. Useinov immediately lodged an appeal which had not been heard when men came to demolish his home, meaning that even by their own illegally applied laws, the Russian occupiers had no right to take any action. Useinov told Crimean Solidarity that the supposed ‘court ruling’ he had been shown, had not come into force when the occupiers simply came and destroyed his home, after plundering whatever they could, in November 2021.
At the time, Mykola Kikkas, lawyer from the Regional Centre for Human Rights, stated that Russia’s demolition of Useinov’s home could be considered a war crime regardless of the excuses provided. As an occupying state, Russia is prohibited from any such actions by international law, namely the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilians , Article 53 states clearly that ““any destruction by the Occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons, or to the State, or to other public authorities, or to social or co-operative organizations, is prohibited, except where such destruction is rendered absolutely necessary by military operations.”
There are also no words to express the brutality of destroying an elderly man’s home, and doing so, moreover, as winter was fast approaching. Useinov was first forced to live in a tent on the plot of land, where all had been razed to the ground, and then moved into the trailer that the occupation regime has now taken from him.
15 individuals, including an occupation ‘police officer’, a Russian FSB officer and several occupation ‘officials’ turned up at the plot of land. They told him to take his things, they were removing the trailer. They clearly wanted him to take his things and leave, while doubtless knowing that he had nowhere to go. He obviously refused, and stood his ground until a tow-truck with a crane was brought in and took the trailer away, together with his things. Useinov explains that he had no choice. Had he taken his medication and other items, he would have effectively been saying that their actions were legitimate. They were categorically not, and, typically, the individuals who took part in this left no document stating that the trailer had been ‘confiscated’. They simply took it. Useinov does say that around two months ago, he returned home to find a piece of paper on the trailer door, claiming that the trailer was illegally there and needed to be moved. He had telephoned the number on the paper and spoken with the person who was new and did not understand the situation. When Useinov explained that his home had been destroyed and he had nowhere else to live, the person had promised to look into the situation and think about it.
And then they simply came and took everything away.
Rustem Useinov has told Crimean Solidarity that he will continue to live on his own plot of land in a tent, like in the first two years after they demolished his home.
Asked why he was remaining there, he replied: “Firstly, I have nowhere to live. Secondly, this is the old village, the place of my ancestors. The village of more than two thousand years of our history. My grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers lived here. How many generations have changed and all of mine lived here. There is therefore no question: I am staying here.”