Restaurant chain owner apologizes after ‘prepare for deportation’ remark to Crimean Tatar woman

Tatarka describes itself as a chain of establishments offering “Crimean cuisine” and has several restaurants in Kyiv and, more recently, in Odesa. The chain has faced criticism over dishes that critics say do not reflect the cuisine of the Crimean Tatars, the Indigenous people of Crimea.

One Facebook user, Zakhida Adylova, wrote a lengthy post about what she described as examples of cultural appropriation, including Tatarka’s menu. She said Crimean Tatars traditionally did not use products prohibited by Sharia, including pork and alcohol, while some establishments marketed as “Crimean Tatar” add those products to their menus.

“They created some kind of wild surrogate: they mixed Crimean Tatar yantiqs and chebureks with pork lula kebab, added Turkish dishes, seasoned it with Tatar dumplings, chicken Kyiv, European salads and beer snacks,” Adylova wrote.

Criticism of Tatarka’s menu also appeared in comments under the chain’s own social media posts. Crimean Tatar woman Niyara Yanusova wrote that the owner was “far removed” from Crimean Tatar cuisine but had still decided to make money from it, “while spoiling it with pork and alcohol.”

“And yes, wherever I am, I will always defend the history of my people, its cuisine and culture, sir. … You have made enemies of an entire people. Prepare for the consequences,” she wrote.

Tatarka owner Volodymyr Biriukov replied: “We are eagerly awaiting the whole people. Prepare for deportation.”

The comment drew condemnation from Refat Chubarov, head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, who called Biriukov’s words “public threats” directed at an entire people.

“Today, when Crimea … remains under Russian occupation, where repression and persecution of Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians happen every day, threats of new ‘deportations’ must be mercilessly punished in full accordance with Ukraine’s national legislation. And so it will be, do not doubt it. We will not allow anyone to mock the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people, much less threaten its repetition,” Chubarov wrote.

Crimean Tatar public figure and lawmaker Tamila Tasheva also criticized the remark. She said the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatars was “a terrible crime of the communist regime and a recognized genocide,” and that threatening to repeat it was “a deliberate desecration of memory.”

Amid the backlash, Biriukov released a video statement calling his words “a grave mistake” that he wants to correct. He said the comment came during a personal argument in the comments and would not be repeated.

“I should never have said that word at all. I want to apologize, first, to Niyara, and second, to the entire Crimean Tatar people. … Yes, this is my screw-up, and I admit it,” the businessman said.