Late 1980s, the beginning of a restoration that saw most Crimean Tatars return from exile to their homeland, first under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and then after Ukraine became independent.
They settled among Slavic neighbors, including a much larger number of ethnic Russians, many with connections to the Black Sea Fleet. Tatars now make up roughly 12 percent of Crimea’s total population of 2 million or so.
With bitter memories of their treatment by Russia, they have long prided themselves on their loyalty to Ukraine…
