Occupation forces seize Yevpatoria mosque in Crimea

In Yevpatoria, security forces seized the Khan Jami mosque. The attack on the 16th century monument shows that not only communities but also objects of cultural and historical significance are under systemic pressure.

This was reported by the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea on Facebook.

The Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine emphasizes that the forceful invasion of the historic Khan-Jami mosque by Russian security forces, carried out with the support of the Kremlin-controlled DUMK, cannot be considered an ordinary conflict between communities or the formal execution of court orders. It is important to understand the essence of the events correctly: this is a planned action aimed at completely subordinating Muslim life in Crimea to the occupation power vertical, using the long-standing strategy of "divide and conquer.

Representatives of the RAMC note that in this situation, the question of who exactly and for how long has been engaged in disputes is secondary. Much more important is the fact that the occupation regime does not allow any autonomy in principle. Today, the repressive machine is 'purging' those who do not want to become part of a single Kremlin-approved structure, but tomorrow, anyone else may be targeted.

This incident teaches an important lesson: even open loyalty to the occupiers is no guarantee of security. On the contrary, such a position only demonstrates to the enemy who can be used as a bargaining chip in the future. Under occupation, the concept of 'our own' does not exist - there are only those who are already easy to control and those whom the regime has not yet managed to finally crush.

The Spiritual Directorate also emphasized that the real purpose of the raid was to forcefully appoint an imam who is loyal to the invaders' administration. At the same time, the Kremlin-controlled DUMK is trying to legitimize the seizure and closure of the mosque, hiding behind the decisions of the occupation courts to liquidate the religious community and calling these forceful methods legal.

Summarizing, the RAMC called this scheme the mechanics of a monopoly: first, there is a formal liquidation through the judicial system, and then there is a forceful seizure of the shrine under the guise of its liberation. The only solution to the problem of religious freedoms in the department was the complete liberation of Crimea from occupation.

Катерина Глушко