Tatar discrimination protest blocks roads into Crimea

KIEV, Ukraine

Tatar activists on Sunday blocked the two main roads leading into Crimea from Ukraine to emphasize the plight of Tatars in the Russian-annexed territory.

The blockade of goods trucks created a 3 kilometer (2 mile) tailback on the roads, an Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene reported, with road blocks established at Chonhar, Kalanchak and Armyansk.

Muslim Tatars number around 300,000 on the Black Sea peninsula, which has a population of two million. They largely opposed Russian annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and claim they are discriminated against by the pro-Russian administration.