Every year on 8 April, the international community marks International Romani Day — a day to honor the Romani people’s rich history, culture, and contributions to global civilization. Several unique ethnic groups have historically formed in Crimea, known by the Crimean Tatar name çingeneler, and by the self-designations krymitká romá and krymurâ. In the steppe regions of Crimea, other names such as dayfular or tayfalar were common, along with urmaçel, qrımı, and tataçe.

Crimean Roma trace their ancestry to two main Romani groups: the Gurbeti, who migrated from Syria, and the Roma whose ancestors arrived from Bulgaria and Romania during the Middle Ages. They adopted Islam and traditionally worked in trades such as animal care, metalworking, and music.

In the Crimean Khanate, the çingeneler (Roma) primarily lived in the eastern and northern parts of Crimea, as well as in the Kuban region. Unlike many other states at the time, the khan’s authorities did not persecute the Roma, and by the 18th century, Islam had become their traditional religion. During this period, the Crimean dialect of the Romani language began to form, incorporating significant lexical borrowings from Crimean Tatar, and later from Ukrainian and Russian.

In Crimea, there were entire districts and areas inhabited by Crimean Roma, especially on the outskirts of major cities such as Karasubazar (Bilohirsk), Aqmescit (Simferopol), Bakhchysarai, Ermeni Bazar (Armiansk), Kezlev (Yevpatoriia), Kefe (Feodosiia), and Eski Qırım (Staryi Krym), where separate neighborhoods later emerged, known as çingene maallesı.

The Crimean Roma led a sedentary or semi-sedentary lifestyle, engaging in a variety of crafts including jewelry making, music, small-scale trade, and blacksmithing. Those who were more affluent opened their own workshops, both within Romani neighborhoods and in Crimean Tatar districts.

Crimean Roma also played an exceptionally important role in preserving Crimean Tatar musical heritage, contributing to its authenticity and continuity. They were the ones who performed Crimean Tatar music in coffeehouses, at large celebrations, weddings, and other gatherings. Through their performances, they helped popularize the music, preserving it and passing it on to future generations of Crimean Tatars.

By the 19th century, many Crimean Roma had adopted the Crimean Tatar language; however, a unique Crimean Romani dialect still existed in Crimea and the Kuban region, influenced by the Nogai language.

During World War II and the German-Romanian occupation of Crimea, the Crimean Roma faced the threat of mass extermination as part of the Nazis’ broader genocidal policies. Islam offered them a degree of protection from the Romani Holocaust: after an initial wave of mass shootings by the Nazis, many Crimean Roma were spared from certain death due to petitions by the Muslim Committee and the alteration of official records by local authorities to register them as Tatars. Nevertheless, in May 1944, they were illegally deported from their homeland along with the Crimean Tatars.

Starting in the 1950s, Crimean Roma began returning from places of deportation, settling in major cities across Ukraine and the broader European part of the USSR, and gradually integrating into other Romani communities.

Today, the çingene are the smallest subgroup of the Romani diaspora in Ukraine, as most of their descendants now reside in other countries. According to the 2001 census, approximately 1,900 Roma lived in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, including Crimean Roma, accounting for 0.1% of the peninsula’s total population.

Due to long-term interaction and partial assimilation, Crimean Roma are often considered the fourth sub-ethnic group of the Crimean Tatars, and many self-identify as such. Their primary language of communication is Crimean Tatar, reflecting deep integration into the Crimean Tatar cultural environment. Today, many members of the Crimean Roma community continue to associate themselves with Crimean Tatar culture while maintaining their distinct identity.

Members of this ethnic group also live within Romani communities in major cities across Ukraine beyond Crimea, such as Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Kherson. One of the largest Crimean Roma communities is located in Pavlohrad, which, prior to 2014, had a population of approximately 2,500 people. Notably, a subgroup of Crimean Roma descendants currently residing in the Kuban region identifies as a distinct Romani group — the Kuban Roma.

The Mission honours the memory of Crimean Roma who suffered deportation and repression and emphasizes the importance of preserving their unique cultural heritage. We support the aspirations of all Romani people in Ukraine for equality, development, and the safeguarding of their identity.

Crimea has always been and remains a multicultural home, where for centuries, representatives of various ethnic groups lived side by side, enriching the cultural landscape of the peninsula. The memory of tragic chapters in history, such as the deportation of the Crimean Roma, must serve as a reminder of the importance of tolerance, mutual respect, and the protection of the rights of all national minorities.