Circassian activists in Istanbul were barred from laying a wreath at the Russian consulate.

Murad emphasized that the topic of the Circassian tragedy concerns all Caucasian peoples without exception, including the Balkars, who were also deported in 1943-1944. According to him, knowledge of history allows us to avoid repeating past mistakes and teaches us how to build relationships with large states, including empires.

Speaking about the main demands of the Circassian movement—recognition of the genocide, the preservation of historical memory, and the right to repatriation—he expressed skepticism about the achievement of real progress. Particularly illustrative, in his opinion, was the situation with Syrian Circassians who returned to their historical homeland during the war in Syria.

"The number of visas for Syrian Circassians has been very, very limited." Many of them wanted to return to the Caucasus, at least for the duration of the war, as refugees. Unfortunately, they were limited to just a few hundred visas, and they were physically unable to do so," Murad said.

Turkey, he said, accepted most of the displaced persons, but they were unable to return to their historical homeland. Murad explains the authorities' reluctance to allow the mass return of Circassians by political concerns.

"If millions of repatriates return to their historical homeland now, they may be more politically savvy, assess the situation more soberly, and could change some of the balance in the Caucasus," he believes.

According to Murad, this is precisely why mass repatriation is practically impossible in the foreseeable future. Only a few are returning – those who decide to do so on their own. "Such a massive return is likely close to impossible in the near future," he stated.

Nevertheless, Murad does not believe that the Circassian movement should abandon the demand for genocide recognition in favor of other priorities. According to him, this demand is a starting point, without which it is impossible to move forward. "Today they don't recognize it, tomorrow they won't recognize it, and the day after tomorrow they will. Such genocides are inevitably recognized by history," he asserts.

Murad believes that the non-recognition of genocide creates the conditions for the repetition of such crimes. He draws a direct parallel between the unrecognized Circassian genocide and modern tragedies. "When we don't recognize genocide, the conscience of those who commit it remains, in quotes, 'clear.' We deprive them of the chance to understand that they have committed an injustice," he said.

Answering the question of why young Caucasians are choosing Turkey for emigration today, Murad suggested that the main reason could be mobilization. "Probably primarily the military draft. That's probably the primary reason—right now, at this very moment, people are leaving," he explained.

Turkey also attracts emigrants from the Caucasus because, according to him, it has a judicial system capable of blocking extradition, and Turks themselves traditionally treat Caucasians well.

Evaluating the diaspora's activity on social media, Murad noted that the Circassian diaspora is the most active among those in the Caucasus. Among the new diaspora communities, he ranked the Dagestani community as the most active.

The scale of memorial events in Istanbul is shrinking

Valid Badrak, a student from North Ossetia, attended the memorial events for the anniversary of the Circassian tragedy in Istanbul for the second time; he first participated in a similar event a year ago. He said May 21 is a sad date for all Caucasian peoples, one that must not be forgotten.

"We will continue to teach our children not to forget this day, and to remember those who left their lands and thus, dying along the shores of the Black Sea, reached Turkey and Jordan," he said.

Valid noted that the scale of this event has noticeably diminished compared to last year. He considers this a disturbing trend. "If the number of participants decreases every year, people will forget about this day. We must not allow this to happen," he said.

He also observed that the event's program has been shortened. He attributes this to political restrictions. "Not all of our brothers are with us today. We also remember all of our Caucasian brothers, all of our brothers from all of the republics," Walid said.

Responding to a question about whether the Circassian diaspora is any closer to achieving its main goals, he expressed cautious optimism regarding genocide recognition. "Many countries, many peoples have recognized this genocide. This is bearing fruit," he noted.

Repatriation, in his opinion, is a much more difficult matter. Russia doesn't recognize Circassians as compatriots, meaning they have no opportunity to return to their homeland and obtain citizenship through a simplified process—unlike, for example, Russians from the Baltic states or Transnistria. "We have to live not on our own lands, but in a foreign land. We don't belong here, and we don't belong there," the student stated.

Speaking about the presence of the Circassian genocide on social media, Walid acknowledged that young bloggers seriously engaging with historical topics are still few in number. He observed that it is older people, not young people, who are most active in promoting this agenda. "The older generation attaches particular importance to this and is trying to inform as many people as possible that it truly was genocide," he said.

Activist: Day of Mourning is turning into an "inner circle" event

A Circassian activist named Anzhelika, a native of Kabardino-Balkaria, attended the commemorative events marking the anniversary of the Circassian tragedy with a Ukrainian flag – as a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who, she believes, are experiencing the same thing the Circassians endured in the 19th century. She said the current event is strikingly different from what it was ten years ago. "I think this is a get-together." "We came here again, to each other, cried, and then went our separate ways," she said.

Previously, she said, the march would pass through Istanbul's central streets—Istiklal Avenue—and passersby would spontaneously join the column: tourists from Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, and Ukraine. This year, she said, the participants were effectively herded into a fenced-off area in an alley, and several posters were banned, particularly those mentioning Russian symbols. "Nobody explains anything. Just 'don't irritate the Russian embassy,'" Anzhelika said.

She directly attributes the division of Circassian organizations into several sites [some Circassians gathered today in Istanbul's Beylikduzu district and were organized by the KAFFED organization, which collaborates with the pro-Russian ICA] to the influence of the Russian consulate. According to her, the parallel event is being organized by a structure affiliated with the International Circassian Association, which she believes is controlled by Russian intelligence services. "The ICA is a purely FSB-affiliated, corrupted structure," the activist declared.

The fundamental problem, in her view, is not the content but the format of the event: the same agenda—genocide recognition, historical memory, repatriation—is repeated year after year to an audience that already knows all of this. "The point of the rally is for others to hear us. The state, the government, to hear us. There are calls, but only we ourselves hear them," she emphasized.

Anzhelika is convinced that the Circassian agenda requires a serious rethink. She criticized the organizers for first inviting a representative of the Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar diasporas to the rally, and then refusing to allow her to speak – again for reasons of “not irritating Russia.”

She calls the shortening of the event’s program this year a symptom of the same problem: the organizers are increasingly looking to Moscow, while the purpose of such events is dialogue with a wider audience and the international community, not a ritual gathering of like-minded people.

A participant in the event accused Circassian organizations of “rolling back to folklorism.”

The main demands of the Circassian diaspora have remained unchanged for many years, and this simultaneously demonstrates both the strength and weakness of the movement, the host of the commemorative event in Istanbul, Turkish artist of Circassian descent, Ishak, told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent. Akey.

According to him, the primary demands are freedom of travel to their historical homeland and Russia's recognition of the genocide. "Our most fundamental demands are, first and foremost, the ability to freely travel to our historical homeland and return whenever we want. And secondly, Russia's recognition of the genocide, so that this is announced to the entire international community," he said.

Furthermore, Akey pointed to the growing pressure on Caucasian languages ​​within Russia: according to him, the number of lessons in Ossetian, Kabardian, Adyghe, and Abaza languages ​​is being reduced. He also recalled that activists who held protests on May 21, 2025, in Nalchik were arrested.

Assessing the dynamics of recent years, he also noted not progress, but a setback. Circassians in Turkey, he said, suffer from Turkish-Russian relations without being a party to them. "We are a people with very modest aspirations: we simply want to travel freely to our historical homeland. But we are lumped together because of Turkey's relations with Russia. "This is very harmful to us," Akey noted.

He cited the downing of the Russian plane as a specific example: after it, Circassians doing business in the Caucasus faced deportations, and some of them, according to him, spent several nights in detention and were tortured.

Speaking about the digital transformation of the Circassian movement, Akey noted both pros and cons. On the one hand, technology makes it possible to communicate with Circassians around the world and learn the language through apps, but on the other, he observes that the younger generation is so immersed in the digital space that they are losing touch with culture and language.

"Before, 30-40 years ago, if I heard a Circassian song, I would say, 'Wow!' Now everything is available with a single click. "But our civil society organizations, unfortunately, aren't using this digitalization to their advantage," he lamented.

At the institutional level, he said, there's virtually no systematic work. Individual enthusiasts dub films into Circassian, and language programs exist, but all of this is fragmented and quickly forgotten. Akey himself admitted that he's long distanced himself from public organizations and operates independently—singing and trying to preserve his native language.

He formulates the main problem bluntly: "Circassian organizations are increasingly turning into folklore clubs, losing their political dimension." "On such an important day as May 21st, at least three to five thousand people should gather at the venue, but so few show up. We've begun to slide a bit into folklorism," Akey said.