The Consul General of the Russian Federation in Simferopol, Vladimir Andreev, made some incorrect statements concerning the Crimean Tatars. This was acknowledged today by the Russian Foreign Ministry, noting that the diplomat did not take into account the sensitive nature of the issue.
"We understand the reaction to some, frankly speaking, incorrect language used by the Russian representative without due regard to a sensitive issue, which requires an exceptionally balanced approach in any situation," the commentary of the Information Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation is quoted by Interfax.
In his interview to ATR on 21 May, Andreev spoke about why he did not recommend that Russian pilots, students and colleagues of the twice-decorated Hero of the Soviet Union, the test pilot Amet-Khan Sultan, to go to the premiere of the film "Haytarma", which is based on his biography and describes the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, saying that Russia could not be represented at the premiere of a film that "distorts the truth about the Great Patriotic War."
The Consul General also expressed his belief that "the theme of collaboration and complicity with the occupiers must be present in all activities" relating to the deportation of the Crimean Tatars.
