Russia's Putin visits annexed Crimea, warns Tatars on status

OPOLZNEVOE, Crimea (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Crimea's minority ethnic Tatars on Monday they should not strive for special status on the Black Sea peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, stoking Cold War-like tensions between Moscow and the West.

Muslim Tatars comprise more than 10 percent of Crimea's population and largely opposed falling under Russian rule last year, remembering the mass deportations ordered by Moscow during the Soviet era. They have come under pressure to align themselves with the new authorities since the annexation.