The Cabinet of Ministers honored 14 figures for their contributions to the Crimean Tatar language

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine awarded the Prize for Outstanding Contributions to the Development of the Crimean Tatar Language to 14 figures from the fields of education, science, culture, media, and the civil society sector. Among the laureates is Eskender Bariev, a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, a human rights activist, and the head of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

This is stated in Cabinet of Ministers Decree No. 925-r dated September 17, 2026. The document is in effect.

The award was also presented to:

• Ayşe Arnautova —senior lecturer in the Department of General and Slavic Linguistics at NaUKMA;
• Pavlo Bashynskyi —civil society activist and volunteer;
• Iryna Dryga —Candidate of Philological Sciences, senior research fellow, and associate professor at the Department of Turkology at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
• Esmi Kasar — journalist, director, and head of the Ankara bureau of the “Crimean News” agency;
• Olga Kychi — Deputy Director of the Crimean Tatar “Birlik School” Lyceum;
• Anife Kurtseitova — organizer of educational and cultural activities for the “Crimean Family” NGO;
• Eldar Osmanov — Director of the “Kyrym Yang” NGO;
• Servin Osmanov — public figure in the field of information technology and digital linguistics;
• Tamila Seityagyaeva — Candidate of Philological Sciences, associate professor in the Department of Crimean Tatar and Eastern Philology at V. I. Vernadsky Taurida National University;
• Elvina Seitbullaeva — civic activist and journalist;
• Elvina Khalilova — philologist and translator;
• Mamure Chabanova — translator, instructor, and author of educational materials on the Crimean Tatar language;
• Ismet Yüksel — a public figure and philanthropist.

Bariyev stated that he views the award as recognition of the joint efforts of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center team and everyone working to develop the native language. Among the Center’s areas of focus, he cited the translation into Crimean Tatar of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, the preparation of materials on violations of the Crimean Tatars’ language rights for international institutions, and the development of informational and digital resources in Crimean Tatar.

According to Bariev, the next task should be to create mechanisms for funding and developing the language so that it can be used not only for everyday communication but also for learning, accessing legal information, reading the news, using digital services, and creating modern content.

The Cabinet of Ministers Award is granted for outstanding contributions to the development of the Crimean Tatar language; the 2026 budget program allocates funding for 14 such awards.

Андрій Колісніченко