The Story Behind the Annexation of Crimea By Hristu-Robert CODREA
Ms. Calin Crystal !eo"oliti#s $th of A"ril %&'(
Table of Content
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)ntrodu#tion Costs of the a#tion *hy did +utin annex Crimea, a. Russian Ethni#ity b. Seasto"ol aal Base #. ations of /raine /raine1s relationshi"s a. Bond 2ith Russia b. Relations 2ith the *est Con#lusion
The Story Behind the Annexation of Crimea
The ta/eoer of initially /raine1s Crimea by Russia in Mar#h %&'3 by Russia #ame as a sla" on the fa#e on the *estern "o2ers1 re"utation as it sho2ed in#a"ability to #ome in aid. *ithout doubt it in#reased Russia1s military "ositionin4 strate4y and it united on#e a4ain Russian #iti5ens be#ause Crimea 2as #onsidered to be ta/en a2ay from mother-land after the fall of the SSR in '66'. /raine is 2al/in4 on thin i#e and it should do a lot of #riti#al thin/in4 re4ardin4 its relationshi"s bet2een the *est and Russia and 2hi#h "osition should they turn to. The annexation of Crimea by Russia in Mar#h %&'3 sho#/ed the 2hole 2orld and it #ondemned Russia1s ex"ansionist forei4n "oli#y. )t is #onsidered to hae been one of
+utin1s to" "riorities for lon4 time to brin4 ba#/ Crimea to the motherland as an a#t to the nation7 but ) thin/ it 2as more of an o""ortunity in order to a#hiee broader strate4i# 4oals on the international sta4e. This a#tion #ame as a disastrous s#andal on the international media "latforms and +utin "aid a "retty bi4 "ri#e for it. 8irst of all it is the first resha"e of the "ost-Soiet "oliti#al ma" sin)n7 more #e the nion of Soiet So#ialist Re"ubli#s 9SSR: fell in '66' and it re"resents a "re#edent 2hi#h "uts Russia in a ti4ht s"ot and it #an be used a4ainst it. Another reason is that the Russian "resident desired to #reate a Eurasian nion 2ith #ountries li/e Russia7 Belarus and ;a5a/hstan 9!ill7 %&'3:. ) thin/ that in order for this allian#e to be le4itimate it 2ould need to also be ba#/ed by /raine7 but after sei5in4 the south eastern "art of the #ountry7 it is ery unli/ely for them to #oo"erate a4ain. A third #ost 2ould be a mu#h dama4ed relationshi" 2ith the *estern "o2ers and a bad "o"ularity in the eyes of the media and the 2orld. ) am sure that 0ladimir +utin /ne2 about the "ri#e he 2ould hae to "ay for his a#tions7 but 2hat made him "ro#eed 2ith his a#tions, After the annexation the Russian 4oernment released statements sayin4 that the ethni# Russians in the 2hole /raine7 es"e#ially in Crimea fa#ed threats from the /rainian "eo"le. Sin#e '66'7 after the SSR #olla"sed7 a ery fre
anu/oi#h. The ne2 "roisional /rainian 4oernment stated that all the "oliti#al affairs that 2ould ta/e "la#e 2ould be in /rainian and this should be the offi#ial business lan4ua4e in the #ountry. This "oses a 4reat dan4er to the ethni# Russians and 2ould be a iolation of their #iil ri4hts. ) beliee this is a alid #ii# reason for 0ladimir +utin1s a#tions7 but )
thin/ this is not the main #ore of his de#isions. There is a 2hole "lot that is set and ready to ha""en but yet 2e do not /no2 2hat is about to ha""en. Another more alid reason is the "osition of the Seasto"ol aal base that is "la#ed in the Crimean "eninsula. )t be#ame "art of Russia in '?$@ 9!ill7 %&'3:. )t is the only "ort of Russia that is o"ened to 2arm 2ater 9the Bla#/ sea: and it has a 4reat strate4i#ally im"ortan#e be#ause it has a##ess to the Mediterranean sea throu4h Bos"orus and Dardanelles straits. )n '6(3 ;hrush#he 98irst Se#retary of the Central Committee of the Communist +arty of the Soiet nion: made /raine res"onsible for the naal base7 but 4iin4 the fa#t it 2as "art of SSR there 2as no dier4en#e and the Soiet fleet still used it as if it 2as theirs. After the fall of the SSR in '66' Russia lost the 2hole territory but later an a4reement 2as rea#hed and they 2ould still hae a##ess to the "ort until %&'? 9!reen7 %&'3:. Moreoer there 2ould be a later extension until %&3% and another "ossible o""ortunity to extend it to %&3? 9Cooley Duboy/7 %&&$:. !iin4 the fa#t that the ne2 "roisional /rainian 4oernment 2as #onsiderin4 oinin4 the Euro"ean nion 9E: and the orth Atlanti# Treaty Or4anisation 9ATO:7 it 2ould hae been ery li/ely to re-ne4otiate the treaty and redu#e Russia1s a##ess or een share the "ort 2ith ATO troo"s7 2hi#h 2ould be inadmissible for the ;remlin 4oernment7 so they had to ta/e the matter in their o2n hands. /raine is not "er se a nation state. There is more than one nation that is liin4 inside the /rainian borders. There are three maor dierse 4rou"s that are inside the #ountry. 8irst 2e hae the eastern "art in 2hi#h its "eo"le are "ro-Russia and the most Russian ethni# are "resent. )t is the #ore of the "ro-Russian "oliti#al a#tiists and it 4ae a lot of su""ort to the former "resident >anu/oi#h. Then7 2e hae the 2estern "art 2hi#h 2as added after the Se#ond *orld *ar 2hi#h is mostly made u" of "eo"le 2ho 2ere "art of +oland and C5e#hosloa/ia. 8inally there is the #entral "art 2hi#h is the heart of /raine and 2here the #a"ital7 ;ie7 is found. There are a lot of differen#es bet2een these three "arts 9traditions7 reli4ious7 lin4uisti#: and there is a hu4e nationalism sentiment in all these "arts 2hi#h #ause a lot of tension. /raine and Russia hae been #lose throu4h the history and it 2as #onsidered a ery "o2erful fraternity bet2een these t2o #ountries7 but this ima4e 2as destroyed in
'66'7 2hen the SSR #olla"sed. But this unity 2as not only based on lan4ua4e and traditions durin4 the Soiet "eriod there 2as a stron4 and dee" e#onomi# bond. This still exists be#ause Russia is Eastern Euro"e1s main 4as su""lier7 most of the "i"elines 4o throu4h /raine and there are a lot of finan#ial subsidies #omin4 from them. This stron4 relationshi" means that both #ountries hae to a#t in ea#h other1s best interests7 but ) thin/ mainly /raine should a#t in Russia1s best interest. ) beliee that /raine is most of all a buffer 5one bet2een Russia and the *est7 and 2hoeer /no2s ho2 to #ontrol it7 2ill 2in this feud. Eerythin4 2as 2or/in4 fine for the Russian 4oernment until >anu/oi#h 2as thro2n a2ay and re"la#ed by the interim 4oernment 2hi#h is not faorable to2ards Mos#o2. Eerythin4 started 2hen >anu/oi#h ba#/ed a2ay from a ne2 "otential better relationshi" 2ith the Euro"ean nion and 2anted to rene2 its #ontra#ts and relationshi" 2ith Russia. On one side7 the E made an offer for a better lon4-term e#onomi# 4ro2th7 but it 2ould mean to #ut off all the relationshi"s 2ith Russia. ater7 the interim 4oernment stated that they 2ould oin the Euro"ean nion7 but there 2as no #omment re4ardin4 the #onne#tions 2ith Russia. ) thin/ this is a ery deli#ate situation and /raine has to #hoose the o"tion that hurts them the least7 be#ause no matter 2hat is their de#ision they 2ould still hae to suffer on the short term7 but the best 2ay to loo/ at this matter is to loo/ at the #ountry1s future. Also7 if an anti-Russian 4oernment #omes to "o2er the situation 2ill not be "leasant at all in Russia is ex#luded from the #ountry1s future. *hen the "eo"le 2ent on the streets and oerthre2 >anu/oi#h7 the *est "layed a hu4e role in this "lay. There 2ere some nited States and Euro"ean "oliti#ians that 2ere ma/in4 s"ee#hes in order to ba#/ u" "rotesters. There 2ere also some se#ret #onersations lea/ed that sho2ed the desire of *estern offi#ials to "us s"e#ifi# "eo"le to "o2er in order to faor /raine to turn to the *est 9!ill7 %&'3:. Moreoer7 in 8ebruary %&'3 some ne4otiations too/ "la#e bet2een the Euro"ean nion and >anu/oi#h in 2hi#h they 2ould hae 4ot to a #om"romise in 2hi#h the "resident 2ould stay in offi#e until ne2 ele#tions 2ould be held in May %&'3. A 2ay out of this #risis maybe 2ould hae been rea#hed7 but the "eo"le ree#ted it. The E abandoned this offer and "referred for the "eo"le to be anti-Russian so it is more in their faor. The *estern "osition 2as stren4thened 2hen they threatened Russia 2ith san#tions if they 2ould
moe on 2ith the Crimean annexation. ) beliee that sin#e the SSR 2as dissoled in '66' the *est has #ontinuously tried to #reate a bad ima4e about Russia and tried to restri#t its "o2er to eole in terms of "o2er and "osition. They 2ent a4ainst Russian interests and they al2ays tried to ma/e it obey *estern orders7 but they still do not mana4e to #ontrol it or to im"ose their "oint of ie2. The annexation of Crimea has arious 4eo"oliti#al reasons and ) am sure it is "art of a "lan 2e are not yet a2are of. All the a#tion that is ta/in4 "la#e in the Eastern side of the #ountry sho2s us that it is not a ery smart idea to ta/e an anti-Russian stand. Russia has both e#onomi#ally and militarily to ma/e some serious 2ounds on /raine7 the ta/eoer of the "eninsula bein4 a #lear exam"le. Also7 these eents sho2ed the im"oten#e of the *est to #ome in aid 2hen is needed. They only made some san#tions follo2in4 Russia1s a#tions and the nited States sent some shi"s to the Bla#/ sea and in#reased fli4hts in the Balti# states7 but the effe#t 2as nearly inexistent. This "ut the *est in a bad li4ht sho2in4 its in#a"ability and boosted Russia1s re"utation as a 4reat "o2er. 8ollo2in4 his a#tions7 0ladimir +utin 4ained some benefits in his mother #ountry as 2ell7 ma/in4 him een more "o"ular by brin4in4 the entire nation to4ether. Also7 it 4ies him a 4reat 4eo"oliti#al adanta4e on forei4n "oli#y. )t #an be said that is the *est1s fault for not 4iin4 a lot of room for ne4otiation re4ardin4 the "ossibilities the /rainians hae7 maybe the situation #ould hae been aoided. One thin4 is sure 2hen +utin sa2 a 4reat o""ortunity7 he did not thin/ t2i#e.
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