Detention: After the occupation of Crimea, Bekir left the peninsula and voluntarily defended Ukraine. He served in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, in the 'Artan' unit.

Sentence: On June 14, 2024, the Henichesk District Court of Kherson Oblast in absentia found Bekir Abultarov guilty and sentenced him to imprisonment, the term of which is unknown. The verdict was not appealed and became legally binding.

Bekir Shakirovich Abultarov was born on December 17, 1996, in the city of Akmesdzhit (Simferopol). Crimean Tatar. Before the full-scale war, he worked as a taxi driver. He was unmarried. After the start of Russian aggression against Ukraine, he voluntarily joined the fight for the de-occupation of Crimea and the defense of the Ukrainian state.

Since 2016, Bekir Abultarov served in the Noman Çelebicihan Battalion, formed by Crimean Tatar activists after the occupation of Crimea. Later, he became a serviceman of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and served in the special unit 'Artan'. He held the position of a grenade launcher operator and a man-portable air-defense system operator.

On March 19, 2024, Bekir Abultarov (call sign 'Bek') died during a combat mission near the village of Kozinka in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. He gave his life while carrying out a combat mission as part of the Ukrainian defense forces. His death was a significant loss for the Crimean Tatar community and the Ukrainian military.

On June 14, 2024, the Henichesk District Court of Kherson Oblast of the occupying authorities of the Russian Federation in absentia found Bekir Abultarov guilty and sentenced him to imprisonment, the term of which is unknown. The verdict was not appealed and became legally binding.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center recognizes Bekir Abultarov as one of the Crimean Tatars who defended Ukraine after the occupation of Crimea.

Human rights activists and representatives of the Crimean Tatar community emphasize that his example is a symbol of the Crimean Tatars' struggle for Ukraine's freedom and the de-occupation of Crimea.

Information used from open sources: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Photo: Crimean Tatar Resource Center.

Date of update: 29.07.2026.