"A Bold Challenge to Society": In Crimea, a Pro-Ukrainian "Waiter" Painted Over the Russian Tricolor

Another potential "waiter" has been identified in Crimea and brought to justice. He is a resident of Sudak who replaced the Russian tricolor flag on his car's license plate with the Crimean Tatar flag.

"The traffic police in the city of Sudak stopped a car with the number P691BC82, driven by Suleimanov Arsen Ekhatovich, born in 1987. Arsen Ekhatovich had a license plate made to order, on which he placed the Crimean Tatar flag instead of the state flag. A protocol was drawn up against the driver under Article 12.2, Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, the car was sent to a penalty area until the violations were corrected," the Crimean SMERSH movement reported.

Crimean political scientist Ivan Mezyukho notes:

" It is unacceptable to shade or replace the Russian national flag with another flag, especially during the Second World War , when the best people in our country, including Crimeans of all nationalities, are fighting with arms in hand for the territorial integrity and independence of the Russian state," he told PolitNavigator.

Political scientist Sergei Kiselev recalls that until recently the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate did not react to such demarches.

"In the current circumstances, this is a demonstrative act that shows disregard for state symbols, which, of course, must be punished in accordance with current legislation. This isn't just a challenge; it's a brazen challenge to society and the state . People have been voicing their complaints for years, particularly against those same traffic police officers who ignore such provocative behavior. I believe that if strict measures are taken against this citizen, regardless of their nationality or anything else, the overwhelming majority, the healthy segment of society, will support this in every way . This is a violation of state symbols, a brazen offense that must be punished to the utmost ."

_{For a long time, there was a loophole in Russian legislation: a driver could order a state number plate without the tricolor for an additional fee, which was used by pro-Ukrainian "waiters". Since January 1 of this year, this possibility has been eliminated. Now this is an administrative violation. The fine is symbolic - only 500 rubles, but the car owner will have to make a new state number, paying about 2,5 thousand rubles for this.}

The Mejlis, now banned in Russia, whose leadership fled to Kiev and is tacitly supported by Turkey, adopted a declaration of "state sovereignty of the Crimean Tatars" at its congress back in 1991.

“Crimea is the national territory of the Crimean Tatar people, in which only they have the right to self-determination,” the declaration stated.

It is known that Viktor Yushchenko requested the declaration be revoked during his presidency , but the Mejlis members refused their situational ally.