“Crimea is ours, Crimea is ours.“, shouted to the crowd in Red Square on March 21, 2014. Moscow. The same Russian President, on the same day, from the stage he set up for this event, “Crimea had come home.This was the first time since the end of World War II that Russia grew up in an area that was the exact opposite of what happened in 1991, when the USSR collapsed. Moscow – and many Russians – consider this peninsula to be a peninsula. region more than your country. Years later, in 2022, the Kremlin repeated its move east. Ukraine The regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporiya were also said to have “returned home”.
To date, publicly in Russia to say that Crimea is part of Ukraine is not only taboo, but even punishable. legally According to article 280.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, attack on territorial integrity from the country. So is it to suggest that it should be returned to Kiev. Historically, there was belonged to directly to Russia until 1954 under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev As a sign of goodwill, it was decided to leave the sovereignty of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR. at that moment, disintegration of the Soviet Union it seemed unthinkable in different countries, so it was ignored; and the perpetual management of national conflicts by the USSR eventually spawned numerous conflicts after the Union disappeared. territorial disputes in Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as in the Crimea.
“The thing is Crimea was historically Rus“, justifies Svetlana – the fictitious name –. On paper she is right. And precisely because of this, it has always been the region with the highest percentage in Ukraine. Russian-speaking and ethnic Russians. However, what international community annexation has been criticized. lack of legitimacy Russian takeover of this part of Ukraine and some transparency Referendum held on 16 March 2014. Kremlin, HE 96% of the population He voted to “return” to Russia. Russian soldier Igor Girkin, nicknamed “The Gunslinger”, admitted years later forcing local politicians, along with the other military, vote in favor consultation due to insufficient support of some segments of the population.
more than controversial
In addition to patriotic pride, popularity of the president of russiaCrimea is also important: the location of the Russian naval base on the Black Sea. Sevastopol, is one of the few products that can be used all year in Russia, as it is not in cold waters. After the collapse of the USSR, Moscow and Kiev agreed in 1997 that Russia could continue. using itBut Moscow finally chose the fast track and annexed the entire territory.
Crimean peninsula crossed different hands throughout the history. The Crimean Khanate or Mongol Horde, which passed from Byzantium through Russia’s predecessor, Kievan Rus, became subjects of the Ottoman Empire, but the most important owner to take control was the Russian Empire and later the Union Soviet in 1783. occupied this area. Currently, Russia retains full control of Crimea, although Ukraine is the real owner of this region in the eyes of the international community. It is recognized by only a few like-minded countries as part of the Russian Federation. Belarus, Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, North Korea, Nicaragua, Sudan and Syria. The rest of the world recognizes Crimea as Ukrainian, including some states that have good relations with Russia. China, Kazakhstan, India, Hungary and Serbia. The situation was repeated when, in 2022, Moscow further annexed the territory of Ukraine, with most of the world’s states refusing to recognize the extension of Russia’s borders.