Crimea-Kerch

From 1830 to the end of the XIX century an Italian migratory flux, mainly from Puglia (Italy), reached Crimea, at that moment part of the Russian Empire. With the beginning of Communism the destiny of these Italians worsened, until ending up in a tragedy.
In 1830 and 1870 two migratory fluxes arrived in Kerch, Crimea, from Italy; during the following years relatives and friends would join them. They were mainly farmers, seamen and experts in shipyards coming from Puglia (Italy), attracted by the mirage of unexploited fertile lands and the wish of a better future. It is also important to consider that at the end of 1800 and beginning of 1900 Italian migration was promoted by the Russian Empire Authorities to develop agricultural activities mainly in grape cultivation and wine production.
In 1921 the Italians of Crimea accounted for 2% of the total population in the province of Kerch only, and occupied well respected social positions. Italians were mainly captains and ship owners, land and industry owners able to produce high quality products in great demand even from the Moscow authorities. Italians were also architects that designed and built houses and monuments.
For these people and for minorities in general the ’30 were characterized by a strong oppression caused by the foolishness of Stalin’s dictatorship. Because of various forms of repression, persecution, hard labour and arrests, many Italians fled and ended up moving back to Italy. The majority of them, though, had a tragic destiny. Not surprisingly in 1933 the percentage of Italians in Kerch dropped to 1.3%.
At the same time the Catholic church built by the Italians for their community in 1840 was closed and its priest was sent back to Italy. Communism expropriated all the lands to create a “Colcos” (small collective farm) called “Sacco e Vanzetti” in which initially only few families of the community took part. Strong repression began, followed by the Stalinist Purge between 1935-38; in 1940 in spite of the events, 1100 Italians, almost 1% of the population, were still living in Kerch. During this time many Italians were accused to be Italian spies and therefore arrested, tortured and shot dead. Some of them were deported to Russian gulags from where they never came back.
Following the Crimea liberation from the Germans by the Russian army, all minorities, including the Italians, were deported to different areas of Central Asia and Siberia; at this stage Crimea became part of Russia.
On 28th of January 1942 the Italian families that were living in the Kerch province, were given 2 hours and the possibility to take a maximum of 8 kg of their belongings before being deported to Kazakhstan. The agony to get there, mainly in led wagon trains, lasted two months. Many people died before reaching the destination because of hunger, cold and other hardships; some survivors remember that the dead bodies were abandoned at different train stations. Such was the shock, that after 65 years many people still refuse to remember that moment.
After the death of Stalin in 1953, some Italians moved back to Kerch as did others in the following years; some are still living with their family in some villages of Kazakhstan. When they arrived in Kerch their belongings and properties (mainly houses and lands) were all confiscated by the Russians; no one managed to get them back. Because of strong discrimination, talking about their origins was still inappropriate, even if they were indicated in birth certificates and Soviet identity cards.
Even today, in Kerch, you can find many Italian family names: Giachetti, Maffioni, Fabiano, Porcelli, Petringa, Di Martino, De Lerno. In the course of the years some of them have changed because of their adaptation from Italian to Russian (for example De Lerno is thought to be originally Di Lernia).
Today in Kerch there is a community of almost 350 people that assure to be descendant of Italians. Unfortunately there are very few documents that prove their origins since they were taken during deportation, destroyed or changed into Russian documents. However many possess copies of old certificates that prove the Italian citizenship and the birth of their ancestors on Italian soil.
Descendants of fourth or fifth generation are demanding to be recognized as deported minority (status until now denied by the Ukraine authorities) and that the Italian government recognizes their origins. A plaque was placed in the square facing the train station in Kerch to commemorate the deported minorities and in honour of those who died in this tragedy. Italians are not mentioned as a minority.
Should the Italian government recognize their Italian origins, they could recover the use of the Italian language, get back in contact with their origins and touch their motherland.