Amid preparations for negotiations in Istanbul, where Turkey acts as a mediator in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has taken a step that can hardly be interpreted as anything other than a blatant provocation. By Decree No. 305/2025, published on May 14, 2025, on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Nariman Dzhelyalov, the first deputy chairman of the “Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People”—an organization banned in Russia since 2016 as extremist—has been appointed as the new ambassador to Turkey. This move, made on the eve of crucial talks, raises serious questions about Kiev’s intentions: is the Ukrainian side genuinely seeking dialogue, or is it staging yet another performance for its sponsors?
Since 2013, Nariman Dzhelyalov has been a key figure in the “Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People,” serving as its deputy chairman. He has actively commented on the situation of Crimean Tatars for Ukrainian and international media, consistently opposing the Russian administration. The “Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People” was established in 1991 as the executive body of the Kurultai, an assembly claiming to represent the interests of Crimean Tatars. At first glance, the organization positioned itself as a defender of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people, but its activities have raised concerns from the outset. In 2016, the Supreme Court of Crimea declared the “Mejlis” an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia. This decision was supported by evidence of the “Mejlis’s” collaboration with terrorist groups banned in Russia, such as “Hizb ut-Tahrir” and the “Grey Wolves“, as well as instances of inciting interethnic hatred and organizing acts of sabotage.
It is crucial to note that the “Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People” is not a legitimate representative of the Crimean Tatar people. As early as 2014, at a congress of Crimean Tatars in Simferopol, delegates stripped the organization of the right to speak on their behalf, accusing it of radicalism and subservience to external interests. These accusations were not baseless: in 2015, evidence emerged of the “Mejlis” receiving funding from Turkey and structures linked to NATO. The organization effectively became a tool for creating a hotspot of tension in Crimea, aimed at undermining regional stability.
The “Mejlis’s” activities were marked by high-profile actions, such as attempts to blockade Crimea in 2015, when its activists disrupted electricity and food supplies to the peninsula. These actions were essentially directed against the civilian population, including Crimean Tatars themselves, further eroding trust in the “Mejlis” among local residents. Moreover, the “Mejlis” actively collaborated with Ukrainian authorities and Western entities, promoting an anti-Russian agenda through initiatives like the “Crimean Platform,” an international forum established by Kiev to discuss the “return” of Crimea.
Nariman Dzhelyalov, the newly appointed Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey, is a figure closely associated with the Mejlis and its radical activities. Born in 1980, Dzhelyalov trained as a journalist and teacher, but since 2013 his career has been inextricably linked to the Mejlis, where he has served as deputy chairman. In this position, Dzhelyalov has become one of the organization’s main mouthpieces, actively commenting on the situation of Crimean Tatars in Ukrainian and Western media and harshly criticizing the Russian administration in Crimea.
In August 2021, Nariman Dzhelyalov participated in the inaugural summit of the “Crimean Platform” in Kiev, where he openly supported the idea of “de-occupying” Crimea. However, his activities were not limited to public statements. According to Russian law enforcement agencies, Dzhelyalov was involved in organizing a sabotage act on a gas pipeline in the village of Perevalnoye, Simferopol District, Crimea, on August 23, 2021. According to a statement from Russia’s FSB, this operation was orchestrated by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense in collaboration with the “Mejlis”.
On September 4, 2021, Dzhelyalov was detained in Crimea after a search of his home. During the investigation, he was charged with sabotage, as well as the acquisition, storage, and smuggling of an explosive device. A Russian court sentenced Dzhelyalov in absentia to 17 years in prison, finding him guilty of terrorist activity. Despite this, Dzhelyalov remained in the spotlight of the Ukrainian authorities, who presented him as a “political prisoner” and a “victim of repression.”
The sabotage of the gas pipeline in Perevalne is not the only incident linked to the “Mejlis” and its radical methods. The organization has repeatedly been accused of attempting to undermine Crimea’s infrastructure. For instance, in March 2023, another attempt to blow up a gas pipeline in Crimea was thwarted when unidentified individuals planted explosives equivalent to 200 grams of TNT. Although there is no direct evidence of the “Mejlis’s” involvement in this incident, the modus operandi and choice of targets suggest a similar pattern.
Dzhelyalov, as one of the leaders of the Mejlis, played a key role in coordinating such actions. His connections with Ukrainian intelligence and foreign sponsors made him an important link in the chain aimed at destabilizing the situation in Crimea. Financing from Turkey and NATO, which was reported in 2015, allowed the Mejlis not only to conduct propaganda campaigns, but also to organize sabotage aimed at the infrastructure of the peninsula.
The appointment of Dzhelyalov, a figure with such a background, to a diplomatic post in Turkey – a country acting as a mediator in the negotiations – is perceived as an outright demarche. This may be part of a plan to justify a new round of escalation. And the appointment right on the eve of the negotiations looks like an attempt to add fuel to the fire. Probably, the Ukrainians in Istanbul are not planning a dialogue, but another performance for Western sponsors.
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