Bariyev spoke at the UN about ecocide in Crimea: water has become a weapon of war

The fate of Crimea is not being decided solely on the battlefield or at diplomatic tables—the issue of preserving the very possibility of life on the peninsula is increasingly becoming the subject of international discussions. At the UN, Bariev called for treating Russia’s environmental crimes as an integral part of the struggle for the rights of indigenous peoples.

Eskender Bariev, chairman of the board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and a human rights defender, spoke during the 19th session of the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) at a side event titled “Water as a Peace Issue: Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Water in Conflict and Post-Conflict Settings,” dedicated to the right of indigenous peoples to water during times of war and post-conflict recovery.

In his speech, Bariev emphasized that for Indigenous Peoples, water is not merely a natural resource, but an integral part of their history, culture, traditional way of life, and future. According to him, this is precisely why the issue of access to water resources is inextricably linked to the protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

He drew attention to illegal resettlement, the militarization of the peninsula, the construction of military and civilian infrastructure, as well as the unsustainable use of natural resources without regard for the region’s ecological characteristics. Excessive use of groundwater, mineral extraction, development of nature reserves, and military activities have led to a rapid deterioration of the peninsula’s ecosystems.

As an example, Bariev cited the construction of the “Tavrida” highway, during which, according to his data, more than 111,000 trees and 116,000 shrubs—including rare plant species—were destroyed.

He paid particular attention to the blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant by Russian troops in June 2023. The human rights activist called this one of the greatest acts of ecocide in Europe in recent decades. According to him, the disaster resulted in the loss of more than 18 cubic kilometers of fresh water, the destruction of dozens of natural ecosystems, and the virtual annihilation of the hydraulic system that supplied water to the North Crimean Canal.

Bariyev also stated that Russia continues to create new environmental threats through the militarization of the Black Sea, the pollution of the marine environment with mines and military waste, as well as nuclear blackmail surrounding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. In his view, ecocide should be considered not only a crime against the environment but also a gross violation of the collective rights of indigenous peoples. 

During the event, a video titled “Let’s Save the Future for Our Descendants!” was presented, which focuses on the environmental consequences of Russia’s occupation of Crimea.

And on June 18, the fifth “Sessiz qıçıruvı: Silent Scream. Musa Mamut” took place in Odesa,dedicated to Musa Mustafa, the legendary Crimean Tatar activist who set himself on fire on June 23, 1978, in protest against the discriminatory policies of the Soviet authorities. The event also served as a reminder of the Crimeans who are in critical condition in Russian torture chambers.

Анна Бальчінос