Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, on April 4, 2014. Crimea's 300,000 Tatars largely boycotted a disputed referendum last month in which nearly 97 percent of voters -- mainly from the region's Russian-speaking majority -- chose to split from Ukraine. Putin sought to allay their fears, saying Tatar would be elevated to the level of a state language on the peninsula and steps taken to end their marginalisation. AFP PHOTO / RIA-NOVOSTI / POOL/ ALEXEI NIKOLSKY