Russian soldiers celebrate Buddhist feast in Crimea

(18 Dec 2022)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Armyansk, Crimea - 18 December 2022
1. Exterior of yurt
2. Volunteer heating up stove, a soldier from Kalmykia walking inside the yurt
3. Soldiers lighting up candles
4. Soldiers praying
5. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Names not given, Russian soldier:
"We were passing by and decided to stop by to pray and drink some tea. It's a moral support for our combat spirit. It's a pleasure. It feels like home."
6. Various of volunteers pouring tea
7. Volunteers and soldiers talking
8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Bakur Zurgadaev, volunteer from Kalmykia:
"On the eve of our national holiday Zula, we brought our Kalmykian yurt to cheer up our countryman so that they can visit us, drink some tea, pray near our altar and feel like home a little bit."
9. Volunteers talking to soldiers
10. Various of altar
STORYLINE:
Russian soldiers from Kamlykia celebrated the Buddhist holiday of Zula Khural on Sunday in the north of Crimea near the border with Kherson.
Volunteers from the Kalmykia region, populated primarily with people of Buddhist faith, set up a traditional yurt in the city of Armyansk to boost the moral of Russian soldiers serving in Ukraine.
Several soldiers stopped by at the tent Sunday to pray at the altar on the holiday of Zula Khural.
"It's a moral support for our combat spirit. It's a pleasure. It feels like home," said one soldier.
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[@whyamihere2250]

it sad to see people from buddhist regions in russia to be sent into war hope you are alive and ok from a tibetan.

[@shoronbarua2899]

I'm Bangladeshi buddist.i very very happy Russian buddist celebrate

[@thihazawwin4606]

warriors of Buddha 's .❤

[@Randall2023]

Lake St. Martin First Nation Manitoba Canada 🇨🇦

[@Randall2023]

Indigenous peoples Indigenous Culture Native Americans 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇷🇺

[@user-oi6mu6hd5e]

Bro, we are all Eurasian nomads, oirad-kalmyks, mongols, kazakhs and other very similar with native Americans, because we are from south Siberia

[@ME-yp7fn]

I though the indigenous people of Crimea are Muslim Tatar. Let's see how they will celebrate with Muslims as well !!!

[@john8036]

These guys are Kalmykian Mongols I believe

[@mrs3188]

Tatars were forcefully deported from Crimea in 1943 by J. Stalin
The region was resettled by Russian Christians in the following years. Khruschev allowed the deported Tatars to return however the Russian population that had newly settled continued to live in Crimea.