Families of rehabilitated Crimean peoples received keys to 90 flats in Simferopol on Dec.10.
"The flats were built under the order of the Russian president on rehabilitation of people, deported for their nationality," Crimea’s head Sergei Aksenov said after the official ceremony. "All the flats are given to families for free."
The Russian presidential order on rehabilitation of the Armenian, Bulgarian, Greek, Crimean Tatars and German peoples and on the state support for their revival and development is dated April, 2014, following Crimea’s reunion with Russia.
Head of the Crimean committee on inter-ethnic relations Zaur Smirnov told TASS, out of the 10 billion rubles ($153 million) for program, more than the third part of the money will be spent for construction or buying of housing. Since 2014, he continued, 400 families of the rehabilitated peoples have received flats. The local government has bought 131 flats and houses, which will be given to the repatriates, the official added.
About 7,000 rehabilitated families in Crimea are on the line for new flats or houses.
"We shall fulfil our obligations by 2020," the official continued. "Everybody will receive housing."
The local authorities also build kindergartens, schools and social infrastructures. "Before the yearend, a school for 1,200 pupils in Simferopol will be ready," the republic’s head said. "There, lessons will be also in the Crimean-Tatar language."
It would be a "school of four presidents," he said, as since 1992 all Ukrainian presidents, from Leonid Kravchuk to Viktor Yanukovich, had promised to have it. "But only our president, Vladimir Putin, has managed to make it true, as he pays special attention to these questions."
"The school will begin working from September 1 (beginning of academic year), of course, and now they are working on the pedagogical staff, education plans, and so forth."
In 1941-1944, more than 300,000 Crimean Tatars, Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks and Germans were deported from Crimea.