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Crimean CrisisAnnexation of CrimeaPart of the Ukrainian crisis

      Crimea ·       Russia ·       Ukraine

Date 20 February 2014 – 19 March 2014[1]

(24 days)

Location Crimea

ResultRussian masked troops invadeand occupy key Crimeanlocations, including Ukrainianairports and military bases,

following Putin's orders.[2][3]

Head of Ukrainian Navy,Admiral Berezovsky, defectsfollowed later by half of theUkrainian military stationed in

the region[4][5][6]

Russian forces seize the SupremeCouncil (Crimean parliament).The Council of Ministers ofCrimea is dissolved, a new pro-Russian Prime Minister is

installed.[7][8]

The new Supreme Councildeclares The Republic of Crimeato be an independent, self-governing entity, then holds areferendum on the status ofCrimea, voting to join the

Annexation of Crimea by the Russian FederationFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The internationally recognised Ukrainian territory ofCrimea was annexed by the Russian Federation inMarch 2014. From the time of the annexation on 18March 2014, Russia has de facto administered theterritory as two federal subjects—the Republic ofCrimea and the city of Sevastopol—within theCrimean Federal District.[30] The militaryintervention and annexation by Russia took place inthe aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution. It was apart of the wider unrest across southern and easternUkraine.[31][32] On 22–23 February, RussianPresident Vladimir Putin convened an all-nightmeeting with security services chiefs to discussextrication of deposed President, ViktorYanukovych, and at the end of that meeting Putinhad remarked that "we must start working onreturning Crimea to Russia."[33] On 23 Februarypro-Russian demonstrations were held in theCrimean city of Sevastopol. On 27 February maskedRussian troops without insignias[2] took over theSupreme Council of Crimea,[34][35] and capturedstrategic sites across Crimea, which led to theinstallation of the pro-Russian Aksyonovgovernment in Crimea, the holding of a disputed,unconstitutional referendum and the declaration ofCrimea's independence.[36][37]

The event was condemned by many world leaders asan illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, inviolation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum onsovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,signed by Russia.[38] It led to the other members ofthe then G8 suspending Russia from the group,[39]

then introducing the first round of sanctions againstthe country. The Russian Federation opposes the"annexation" label,[40] with Putin defending thereferendum as complying with international law.[41]

Ukraine disputes this, as it does not recognise theindependence of the Republic of Crimea or theaccession itself as legitimate.[42] The United NationsGeneral Assembly also rejected the vote andannexation, adopting a non-binding resolutionaffirming the "territorial integrity of Ukraine within

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Russian Federation, on 16

March.[9]

Treaty signed between Crimeaand Russia at the Kremlin on 18March to formally initiateCrimea's annexation by the

Russian Federation.[10]

The Ukrainian Armed Forces areevicted from their bases on 19March by Crimean protesters andRussian troops. Ukrainesubsequently announceswithdrawal of its forces from

Crimea.[11]

Belligerents Russia  Ukraine

Strength

Protesters

20,000

(Sevastopol)[12][13]

10,000

(Simferopol)[14]

Volunteer units[13][15]

5,000 (Sevastopol)1,700 (Simferopol)

Russian military forces

20,000–30,000

troops[16]

Ukrainian ArmedForces defectors

12,000[17]

Protesters

4,000–10,000

(Simferopol)[18][19]

Ukrainian militaryforces

5,000–22,000

troops[20][21]

40,000 reservists,partly mobilised(outside

Crimea)[22]

Casualties and losses1 Crimean SDF trooper

killed [23]2 soldiers killed,[24]

60–80 detained[25]

3 protesters died (2 pro-Russian and 1 pro-

Ukrainian)[26][27][28][29]

its internationally recognised borders".[43][44] Theresolution also "[u]nderscores that the referendum[in Crimea], having no validity, cannot form thebasis for any alteration of the status of [Crimea]."[44]

The resolution draws attention to the obligation ofall States and international organizations not torecognize or to imply the recognition of Russia'sannexation.[44]

Contents

1 Background

1.1 Euromaidan and the Ukrainianrevolution

2 History

2.1 Crimean crisis begins

2.2 Legal obstacles to Crimeaannexation

2.3 Crimean status referendum

2.4 Breakaway republic

2.5 Accession treaty and immediateaftermath

3 Transition and aftermath

3.1 Human rights situation

3.2 Crimean public opinion

4 Ukrainian response

5 Russian response

6 International response

6.1 United Nations resolutions

6.2 Recognition

6.3 Commentary

6.4 Sanctions

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All deaths were not related directly to militaryactivities6.5 Mapping

7 Economic impact

8 See also

9 Notes

10 References

11 External links

BackgroundCrimea became part of the Russian Empire in 1783, when the Crimean Khanate was annexed andincorporated into the Empire as Taurida Oblast. In 1795, Crimea was merged into NovorossiyskGovernorate; in 1802, it was transferred to the Taurida Governorate. A series of short-lived governments(Crimean People's Republic, Crimean Regional Government, Crimean SSR) were established duringfirst stages of the Russian Civil War, but they were followed by White Russian (General Command ofthe Armed Forces of South Russia, later South Russian Government) and, finally, Soviet (CrimeanASSR) incorporations of Crimea into their own states. After the Second World War and the subsequentdeportation of all of the indigenous Crimean Tatars, the Crimean ASSR was stripped of its autonomy in1946 and was downgraded to the status of an oblast of the Russian SFSR.

In 1954, the Crimean Oblast was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR by decree ofthe Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.

In 1989, under perestroika, the Supreme Soviet declared that the deportation of the Crimean Tatarsunder Stalin had been illegal,[45] and the mostly Muslim ethnic group was allowed to return toCrimea.[46]

In 1990, the Crimean Oblast Soviet proposed the restoration of the Crimean ASSR.[47] The oblastconducted a referendum in 1991, which asked whether Crimea should be elevated into a signatory of theNew Union Treaty (that is, became a union republic on its own). By that time, though, the dissolution ofthe Soviet Union was well underway. The Crimean ASSR was restored for less than a year as part ofSoviet Ukraine before Ukrainian independence. Newly independent Ukraine maintained Crimea'sautonomous status,[48] while the Supreme Council of Crimea affirmed the peninsula's "sovereignty" as apart of Ukraine.[49][50] The autonomous status of Crimea was limited by Ukrainian authorities in1995.[51][52]

Euromaidan and the Ukrainian revolution

The Euromaidan movement began in late November 2013 with protests in Kiev against pro-RussianPresident Viktor Yanukovych, who won election in 2010 with strong support in the AutonomousRepublic of Crimea and southern and eastern Ukraine. The Crimean government strongly supportedYanukovych and condemned the protests, saying they were "threatening political stability in the

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Euromaidan in Kiev, 11 December2013

Crimean "self-defence" members, 2 March2014

country". The Supreme Council of Crimea supported the government's decision to suspend negotiationson the pending Ukraine-EU Association Agreement and urged Crimeans to "strengthen friendly ties withRussian regions".[53][54][55]

On 4 February 2014, the Presidium of the Supreme Council considered holding a referendum on thepeninsula's status and asking the government of Russia toguarantee the vote.[56][57] The Security Service of Ukraineresponded by opening a criminal case to investigate the possible"subversion" of Ukraine's territorial integrity.[58]

On 20 February 2014 during a visit to Moscow, Chairmen of theSupreme Council of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov stated thatthe Soviet Union's resolution that led to the 1954 transfer ofCrimea from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic tothe Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic needed to bedenounced.[56]

The Euromaidan protests reached a fever pitch in February 2014, and Yanukovych and many of hisministers fled the capital on 22 February 2014.[59] After opposition factions and defectors fromYanukovych's Party of Regions cobbled together a parliamentary quorum in the Verkhovna Rada, thenational legislature voted on 22 February to remove Viktor Yanukovych from his post on the groundsthat he was unable to fulfill his duties,[60] although the legislative removal lacked the required threequarter vote of sitting MPs according to the constitution in effect at the time, which the Rada also votedto nullify.[61][62][63] The Russian government described it as a coup d'état,[64] although the newUkrainian government was widely recognised internationally.[65]

History

Crimean crisis begins

The February 2014 revolution that ousted Ukrainianpresident Viktor Yanukovych, driven by the Euromaidanmovement, sparked a political crisis in Crimea, whichinitially manifested as demonstrations against the newinterim Ukrainian government, but rapidly escalated due toRussia's overt support for separatist political factions. InJanuary 2014 the Sevastopol city council had already set uplocal "self-defence" units.[66]

Crimean parliament members called for an extraordinarymeeting on 21 February. Crimean Tatar Mejlis chairmanMustafa Dzhemilev said that he suspected that the meetingwas arranged to call for Russian military intervention inCrimea, stating "Tomorrow may be a decision that will bring chaos and disaster to Crimea".[67] Severalscholars previously discussed the possibility of Russian military intervention in Crimea, due to itsunique geopolitical nature and demographics.[68] In response to this, the Security Service of Ukraine(SBU) said that it would "use severe measures to prevent any action taken against diminishing the

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territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine".[nb 1] The party with the largest number of seats in theCrimean parliament (80 of 100), the Party of Regions of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, didnot discuss Crimean secession, and were supportive of an agreement between President Yanukovych andEuromaidan activists to end the unrest that was struck on the same day in Kiev.[70][71]

Crimean prime minister Anatolii Mohyliov said that his government recognised the new provisionalgovernment in Kiev, and that the Crimean autonomous government would carry out all laws passed bythe Ukrainian parliament.[72] In Simferopol, a pro-Euromaidan rally of between 5,000–15,000 was heldin support of the new government, and demanding the resignation of the Crimean parliament; attendeeswaved Ukrainian, Tatar, and European Union flags.[73] Meanwhile, in Sevastopol, thousands protestedagainst the new Ukrainian government, voted to establish a parallel administration, and created civildefence squads with the support of the Russian Night Wolves motorcycle club. Protesters wavedRussian flags, chanted "Putin is our president!", and claimed they would refuse to further pay taxes tothe Ukrainian state.[74][75] Russian military convoys were also alleged to be seen in the area.[75] InKerch, pro-Russian protesters attempted to remove the Ukrainian flag from atop city hall and replace itwith the flag of Russia. Over 200 attended, waving Russian, orange-and-black St. George, and theRussian Unity party flags. Mayor Oleh Osadchy attempted to disperse the crowd and police eventuallyarrived to defend the flag. The mayor said "This is the territory of Ukraine, Crimea. Here's a flag ofCrimea", but was accused of treason and a fight ensued over the flagpole.[76] On 24 February, morerallied outside the Sevastopol city state administration.[77] Pro-Russian demonstrators accompanied byneo-Cossacks demanded the election of a Russian citizen as mayor and hoisted Russian flags around thecity administration; they also handed out leaflets to sign up for a self-defence militia, warning that the"Blue-Brown Europlague is knocking."[78]

On 25 February, several hundred pro-Russian protesters blocked the Crimean parliament demanding areferendum on Crimea's independence.[79] On the same day, Sevastopol illegally elected Alexei Chaly, aRussian citizen, as mayor. Under the law of Ukraine, it was not possible for Sevastopol to elect a mayor,as the Chairman of the Sevastopol City State Administration, appointed by the President of Ukraine,functions as its mayor.[80] A thousand protesters present chanted "A Russian mayor for a Russian city."Crowds gathered again outside Sevastopol's city hall on Tuesday as rumours spread that security forcescould arrest Chaly, but police chief Alexander Goncharov said that his officers would refuse to carry out"criminal orders" issued by Kiev. Viktor Neganov, a Sevastopol-based adviser to the Internal AffairsMinister, condemned the events in the city as a coup. "Chaly represents the interests of the Kremlinwhich likely gave its tacit approval," he said. Sevastopol City State Administration chairman VladimirYatsuba was booed and heckled on 23 February, when he told a pro-Russian rally that Crimea was a partof Ukraine. He resigned the next day.[81] In Simferopol, the Regional State Administration building wasblockaded with hundreds of protesters, including neo-Cossacks, demanding a referendum of separation;the rally was organized by the Crimean Front.[82]

On 26 February, thousands clashed during opposing rallies in Simferopol.[83] Near the Supreme Councilof Crimea building 4,000 and 5,000 Crimean Tatars and supporters of the Euromaidan-Crimeamovement faced 600-700 supporters of pro-Russian organizations and the Russian Unity Party.[84]

Supreme Council Chairman Vladimir Konstantinov said that the Crimean parliament would not considerseparation from Ukraine, and that earlier reports that parliament would hold a debate on the matter wereprovocations.[85] Tatars created self-defence groups, encouraged collaboration with Russians,Ukrainians, and people of other nationalities, and called for the protection of churches, mosques,synagogues, and other important sites.[86] By nightfall the Crimean Tatars had left; several hundred

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Russian Unity supporters rallied on.[87] The new Ukrainian government's acting Internal AffairsMinister Arsen Avakov tasked Crimean law enforcement agencies not to provoke conflicts and to dowhatever necessary to prevent clashes with pro-Russian forces; and he added "I think, that way - througha dialogue - we shall achieve much more than with standoffs".[88] New Security Service of Ukraine(SBU) chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko requested that the United Nations provide around-the-clockmonitoring of the security situation in Crimea.[89] Russian troops took control of the main route toSevastopol on orders from Russian president Vladimir Putin. A military checkpoint, with a Russian flagand Russian military vehicles, was set up on the main highway between the city and Simferopol.[90]

On 27 February, unidentified troops widely suspected of being Russian special forces seized the buildingof the Supreme Council of Crimea (the regional parliament) and the building of the Council of Ministersin Simferopol.[91][92] Russian flags were raised over these buildings,[93] and barricades were erectedoutside them.[94] Whilst the "little green men" were occupying the Crimean parliament building, theparliament held an emergency session.[95][96] It voted to terminate the Crimean government, and replacePrime Minister Anatolii Mohyliov with Sergey Aksyonov.[97] Aksyonov belonged to the Russian Unityparty, which received 4% of the vote in the last election.[96] According to the Constitution of Ukraine,the Prime Minister of Crimea is appointed by the Supreme Council of Crimea in consultation with thePresident of Ukraine.[98][99] Both Aksyonov and speaker Vladimir Konstantinov stated that they viewedViktor Yanukovych as the de jure president of Ukraine, through whom they were able to ask Russia forassistance.[100]

The parliament also voted to hold a referendum on greater autonomy on 25 May. The troops had cut allof the building's communications, and took MPs' phones as they entered.[95][96] No independentjournalists were allowed inside the building while the votes were taking place.[96] Some MPs claimedthey were being threatened and that votes were cast for them and other MPs, even though they were notin the chamber.[96] Interfax-Ukraine reported "it is impossible to find out whether all the 64 members ofthe 100-member legislature who were registered as present at when the two decisions were voted on orwhether someone else used the plastic voting cards of some of them" because due to the armedoccupation of parliament it was unclear how many MPs were present.[101] The head of parliament'sinformation and analysis department, Olha Sulnikova, had phoned from inside the parliamentarybuilding to journalists and had told them 61 of the registered 64 deputies had voted for the referendumresolution and 55 for the resolution to dismiss the government.[101] Donetsk People's Republic separatistIgor Girkin said in January 2015 that Crimean members of parliament were held at gunpoint, and wereforced to support the annexation.[102] These actions were immediately declared illegal by the Ukrainianinterim government.[103]

On the same day, more troops in unmarked uniforms, assisted this time by what appeared to be localBerkut riot police (as well as Russian troops from the 31st Separate Airborne Assault Brigade dressed inBerkut uniforms),[104] established security checkpoints on the Isthmus of Perekop and the ChonharPeninsula, which separate Crimea from the Ukrainian mainland.[94][105][106][107][108] Within hours,Ukraine had effectively been cut off from Crimea.

On 1 March 2014, Aksyonov declared Crimea's new de facto authorities would exercise control of allUkrainian military installations on the peninsula. He also asked Russian President Vladimir Putin, whohad been Yanukovych's primary international backer and guarantor, for "assistance in ensuring peace

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"Little green men" in Simferopol, 2 March2014

and public order" in Crimea.[109] Putin promptly received authorisation from the Federation Council ofRussia for a Russian military intervention in Ukraine "until normalization of a socio-politicalenvironment in the country".[110][111] Putin's swift manoeuvre prompted protests of intelligentsia and

demonstrations in Moscow against a Russian militarycampaign in Crimea. By 2 March, Russian troops movingfrom the country's naval base in Sevastopol and reinforcedby troops, armour, and helicopters from mainland Russiaexercised complete control over the CrimeanPeninsula.[112][113][114] Russian troops operated in Crimeawithout insignia. Despite numerous media reports andstatements by the Ukrainian and foreign governmentsdescribing the unmarked troops as Russian soldiers,government officials concealed the identity of their forces,claiming they were local "self-defence" units over whomthey had no authority.[115] As late as 17 April, Russianforeign minister Lavrov claimed that there are no sparearmed forces in the territory of Crimea.[116]

Russian officials eventually admitted to their troops' presence. On 17 April 2014, Putin acknowledgedthe Russian military backed Crimean separatist militias, stating that Russia's intervention was necessary"to ensure proper conditions for the people of Crimea to be able to freely express their will".[31] DefenceMinister Sergey Shoygu said the country's military actions in Crimea were undertaken by forces of theBlack Sea Fleet and were justified by "threat to lives of Crimean civilians" and danger of "takeover ofRussian military infrastructure by extremists".[117] Ukraine complained that by increasing its trooppresence in Crimea, Russia violated the agreement under which it headquartered its Black Sea Fleet inSevastopol[118] and violated the country's sovereignty.[119] The United States and United Kingdom alsoaccused Russia of breaking the terms of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, by whichRussia, the US, and the UK had reaffirmed their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of forceagainst the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine.[120] The Russian government saidthe Budapest Memorandum did not apply due to "complicated internal processes" in Crimea.[121][122] InMarch 2015 retired Russian Admiral Igor Kasatonov stated that according to his information the Russiantroop deployment in Crimea included six helicopter landings and three landings of IL-76 with 500people.[123]

Legal obstacles to Crimea annexation

The Russian–Ukrainian Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet[a] signed in1997 and prolonged in 2010, determined the status of the military bases and vessels in Crimea prior tothe current crisis. Russia was allowed to maintain up to 25,000 troops, 24 artillery systems (with acalibre smaller than 100 mm), 132 armoured vehicles, and 22 military planes, on military base inSevastopol and related infrastructure on the Crimean Peninsula. The Russian Black Sea fleet had basingrights in Crimea until 2042. Usage of navigation stations and troop movements were improperly coveredby the treaty and were violated many times as well as related court decisions. February troop movementswere in "complete disregard" of the treaty.[125]

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"Little green men" and lorries after theseizure of Perevalne military base, 9 March2014

Both Russia and Ukraine are signatories to the Charter of the United Nations. The ratification of saidcharter has several ramifications in terms of international law, particularly those that cover the subjectsof declarations of independence, sovereignty, self-determination, acts of aggression, and humanitarianemergencies. Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russian troops in the Crimean peninsula were aimed "toensure proper conditions for the people of Crimea to be able to freely express their will",[126] whilstUkraine and other nations argue that such intervention is a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty.[119] TheRussian President also noted that the United Nations International Court of Justice handed down anadvisory opinion in 2010 saying unambiguously that the unilateral declaration of independence inKosovo (for which there was no referendum nor agreement from Belgrade) was not prohibited byinternational law.[127] On the other hand, United States and Ukraine point out that by annexing CrimeaRussia violated terms of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, by which Russia, theUnited States and the United Kingdom reaffirmed their obligation to respect the territorial integrity ofUkraine (including Crimea) and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrityor political independence of Ukraine.[128] The United States does not consider the Memorandumbinding.[129]

According to the Constitution of Russia, the admission ofnew federal subjects is governed by federal constitutionallaw (art. 65.2).[130] Such a law was adopted in 2001, and itpostulates that admission of a foreign state or its part intoRussia shall be based on a mutual accord between theRussian Federation and the relevant state and shall takeplace pursuant to an international treaty between the twocountries; moreover, it must be initiated by the state inquestion, not by its subdivision or by Russia.[131] This lawwould have seemed to require that Ukraine initiate anynegotiations involving a Crimean annexation by Russia.

On 28 February 2014, Russian MP Sergey Mironov, alongwith certain other members of the Duma, introduced a bill to

alter Russia's procedure for adding federal subjects. According to the bill, accession could be initiated bya subdivision of a country, provided that there is "absence of efficient sovereign state government inforeign state"; the request could be made either by subdivision bodies on their own or on the basis of areferendum held in the subdivision in accordance with corresponding national legislation.[132] TheVenice Commission stated that the bill violated "in particular, the principles of territorial integrity,national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of another state and pacta sunt servanda"and was therefore incompatible with international law.[133]

On 11 March 2014, both the Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted adeclaration of independence, which stated their intent to declare independence and request full accessionto Russia in case the pro-Russian answer received the most votes during the scheduled statusreferendum. The declaration directly referred to the Kosovo independence precedent, by which theAlbanian-populated Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija declared independence fromRussia's ally Serbia as the Republic of Kosovo in 2008—a unilateral action Russia staunchly opposed.Many analysts saw the Crimean declaration as an overt effort to pave the way for Crimea's annexationby Russia.[134]

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Crimean authorities' stated plans to declare independence from Ukraine made the Mironov billunnecessary. On 20 March 2014, two days after the treaty of accession was signed, the bill waswithdrawn by its initiators.[135]

Crimean status referendum

On 27 February, following the takeover of its building, the Supreme Council of Crimea voted to hold areferendum on 25 May, with the initial question as to whether Crimea should upgrade its autonomywithin Ukraine.[136] The referendum date was later moved from 25 May to 30 March.[137] A Ukrainiancourt declared the referendum to be illegal.[138]

On 4 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Russia was not considering annexing Crimea. Hesaid of the peninsula that "only citizens themselves, in conditions of free expression of will and theirsecurity can determine their future".[139] Putin later acknowledged that he had ordered "work to bringCrimea back into Russia" as early as February.[140] He also acknowledged that in early March therewere "secret opinion polls" held in Crimea, which, according to him, reported overwhelming popularsupport for Crimea's incorporation into Russia.[141]

On 6 March, the Supreme Council moved the referendum date to 16 March and changed its scope to aska new question: whether Crimea should accede to Russia or restore the 1992 constitution within Ukraine,which the Ukrainian government had previously invalidated. This referendum, unlike one announcedearlier, contained no option to maintain the status quo of governance under the 1998 constitution.[142]

On 14 March, the Crimean status referendum was deemed unconstitutional by the Constitutional Courtof Ukraine,[143] and a day later, the Verkhovna Rada formally dissolved the Crimean parliament.[37]

The referendum was held despite the opposition from Kiev. Official results reported about 95% ofparticipating voters in Crimea and Sevastopol were in favour of joining Russia.[144] The results ofreferendum are questioned,[145] Another report by Evgeny Bobrov, a member of the Russian President'sHuman Rights Council, suggested the official results were inflated and only 15% to 30% of Crimeansactually voted for the Russian option.[36][146][147] A poll conducted by German market research instituteGfK one year after the referendum showed that 82% of Crimeans fully supported Crimea's inclusion inRussia, and another 11 percent expressed partial support.[148]

The means by which the referendum was conducted were widely criticised by foreign governments andin the Ukrainian and international press, with reports that anyone holding a Russian passport regardlessof residency in Crimea was allowed to vote. After the OSCE refused to send observers Russia invited agroup of observers from various European far-right political parties aligned with Putin, who stated thereferendum was conducted in a free and fair manner.[149][150]

Breakaway republic

On 17 March, following the official announcement of the referendum results, the Supreme Council ofCrimea declared the formal independence of the Republic of Crimea, comprising the territories of boththe Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which was granted special status withinthe breakaway republic.[151] The Crimean parliament declared the "partial repeal" of Ukrainian laws andbegan nationalising private and Ukrainian state property located on the Crimean Peninsula, including

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Signing of treaty of accession inMoscow, 18 March 2014

Medal "For return of Crimea" (20February 2014 - 18 March 2014) bythe Ministry of Defense of Russia

Ukrainian ports[152] and property of Chornomornaftogaz.[153] Parliament also formally requested thatthe Russian government admit the breakaway republic into Russia.[154] On same day, the de factoSupreme Council renamed itself the Crimean State Council,[155] declared the Russian ruble an officialcurrency alongside the hryvnia,[156] and announced that Crimea would switch to Moscow Time(UTC+4) on 30 March.[157]

Putin officially recognised the Republic of Crimea by decree[158] and approved the admission of Crimeaand Sevastopol as federal subjects of Russia.[159]

Accession treaty and immediate aftermath

The Treaty on Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russiawas signed between representatives of the Republic of Crimea(including Sevastopol, with which the rest of Crimea brieflyunified) and the Russian Federation on 18 March 2014 to lay outterms for the immediate admission of the Republic of Crimea andSevastopol as federal subjects of Russia and part of the RussianFederation.[160][161] It was ratified by the Federal Assembly by21 March.[162]

During a controversial incident in Simferopol on 18 March, someUkrainian sources said that armed gunmen that were reported tobe Russian special forces allegedly stormed the base. This wascontested by Russian authorities, who subsequently arrested analleged Ukrainian sniper in connection with the killings.[163][164]

At this stage, none of the accounts of this event could be verifiedindependently.[165] The Ukrainian and the Crimean authoritiesprovided conflicting reports of the event.[166] Furthermore,witnesses of the event said that there was no immediate evidencethat any Russian soldiers were involved in the incident.[167]

The two casualties had a joint funeral attended by both theCrimean and Ukrainian authorities, and both soldiers weremourned together.[168] The incident is now under investigationby both the Crimean authorities and the Ukrainian military.[169][170]

On 19 March Putin submitted to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, a treaty of Crimea'sreunification with Russia and a constitutional amendment on setting up two new constituent territories ofthe Russian Federation.[171] Russian Constitutional Court found that treaty is in compliance withConstitution of Russia. The court sat in an emergency session following a formal request by PresidentVladimir Putin to assess the constitutionality of the treaty.[172][173]

After the Russian Constitutional Court upheld the constitutionality of the treaty, the State Duma ratifiedit on 20 March.[174][175] The Duma also approved the draft federal constitutional law admitting Crimeaand Sevastopol and establishing them as federal subjects.[176][177] A Just Russia's Ilya Ponomarev was

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the only State Duma member to vote against the measures. A day later, the treaty itself and the requiredamendment to article 65 of the Russian Constitution (which lists the federal subjects of Russia) wereratified by the Federation Council[178] and almost immediately signed into law by Putin.[179] Crimea'sadmission to the Russian Federation was considered retroactive to 18 March, when Putin and Crimeanleaders signed the draft treaty.[180]

On 24 March, the Ukrainian government ordered the full withdrawal of all of its armed forces fromCrimea.[181] In addition, the Ministry of Defence announced that approximately 50% of the Ukrainiansoldiers in Crimea had defected to the Russian military.[182][183][184][185]

On 27 March, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution, which declaredthe Crimean referendum and subsequent status change invalid, by a vote of 100 to 11, with 58abstentions and 24 absent.[186][187]

Crimea and Sevastopol switched to Moscow Time at the end of March.[188][189]

On 2 April, Russia formally denounced the 2010 Kharkiv Pact and Partition Treaty on the Status andConditions of the Black Sea Fleet.[190] Putin cited "the accession of the Republic of Crimea andSevastopol into Russia" and resulting "practical end of renting relationships" as his reason for thedenunciation.[191] On the same day, he signed a decree formally rehabilitating the Crimean Tatars, whowere ousted from their lands in 1944, and the Armenian, German, Greek, and Bulgarian minoritycommunities in the region that Stalin also ordered removed in the 1940s.

On 11 April, the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea and City Charter of Sevastopol wereadopted,[192] and on same day, the new federal subjects were enumerated in a newly published revisionof the Russian Constitution.[193]

Transition and aftermathThe number of tourists visiting Crimea in the 2014 season was lower than in the previous years due toworries about the political situation.[194] Russian government attempted to stimulate the flow of touristsby subsidizing holidays in the peninsula for children and state workers from all Russia[195][196] whichworked mostly for state-owned hotels. In 2015 overall 3 million of tourists visited Crimea according toofficial data, while before annexation it was around 5.5 million on average. The shortage is attributedmostly to stopped flow of tourists from Ukraine. Hotels and restaurants are also experiencing problemswith finding enough seasonal workers, who were arriving from Ukraine mostly in the preceding years.Tourists visiting state-owned hotels are complaining mostly about low standard of rooms and facilities,some of them unrepaired from Soviet times.[197]

According to the German newspaper Die Welt, the annexation of Crimea is economicallydisadvantageous for the Russian Federation. Russia will have to spend billions of euros a year to paysalaries and pensions. Moreover, Russia will have to undertake costly projects to connect Crimea to theRussian water supply and power system because Crimea has no land connection to Russia and at presentgets water, gas and electricity from mainland Ukraine. This will require building a bridge and a pipelineacross the Kerch Strait. Also, Novinite claims that a Ukrainian expert told Die Welt that Crimea "will notbe able to attract tourists".[198]

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Federal Law on Ratifying theAgreement between the RussianFederation and the Republic ofCrimea on Admitting to theRussian Federation the Republicof Crimea and Establishing withinthe Russian Federation NewConstituent Entities.

Federal Constitutional Law onAdmitting to the RussianFederation the Republic ofCrimea and Establishing withinthe Russian Federation the NewConstituent Entities of theRepublic of Crimea and the Cityof Federal Importance Sevastopol.

The first Deputy to Minister of Finance of Russian FederationTatyana Nesterenko said in her interview to Forbes Woman thatdecision to annexe Crimea was made by Russian President VladimirPutin exclusively without consulting Russia's Finance Ministry.[199]

The Russian business newspaper Kommersant expresses an opinionthat Russia will not acquire anything economically from"accessing" Crimea, which is not very developed industrially,having just a few big factories, and whose yearly gross product isonly $4 billion. The newspaper also says that everything fromRussia will have to be delivered by sea, higher costs oftransportation will result in higher prices for everything, and toavoid a decline in living standards Russia will have to subsidiseCrimean people for a few months. In total, Kommersant estimatesthe costs of integrating Crimea into Russia in $30 billion over thenext decade, i.e. $3 billion per year.[200]

On the other hand, western oil experts estimate that Russia's seizingof Crimea, and the associated control of an area of Black Sea morethan three times its land area gives it access to oil and gas reservespotentially worth trillions of dollars. It also deprives Ukraine of itschances of energy independence. Most immediately however,analysts say, Moscow's acquisition may alter the route along whichthe South Stream pipeline would be built, saving Russia money,time and engineering challenges. It would also allow Russia toavoid building in Turkish territorial waters, which was necessary inthe original route to avoid Ukrainian territory.[201][202]

Russian/Chechen businessman Ruslan Baisarov announced he isready to invest 12 billion rubles into the construction of a modernsea resort in Crimea, which is expected to create about 1,300 jobs.Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of Chechnya, said that other Chechenbusinessmen are planning to invest into Crimea as well.[203]

The Russian Federal Service for Communications (Roskomnadzor)warned about a transition period as Russian operators have tochange the numbering capacity and subscribers. Country code willbe replaced from the Ukrainian +380 to Russian +7. Codes inCrimea start with 65, but in the area of "7" the 6 is given toKazakhstan which shares former Soviet Union +7 with Russia, socity codes have to change. The regulator assigned 869 dialling codeto Sevastopol and the rest of the peninsula received a 365 code.[204]

At the time of the unification with Russia, telephone operators andInternet service providers in Crimea and Sevastopol are connectedto the outside world through the territory of Ukraine.[205] Ministerof Communications of Russia, Nikolai Nikiforov announced on hisTwitter account that postal codes in Crimea will now have six-figures: to the existing five-digit number the number two will beadded at the beginning. For example, the Simferopol postal code 95000 will become 295000.[206]

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Regarding Crimea's borders, the head of Russian Federal Agency for the Development of the StateBorder Facilities (Rosgranitsa) Konstantin Busygin, who was speaking at a meeting led by RussianDeputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea said the Russian stateborder in the north of Crimea which, according to his claims, now forms part of the Russian-Ukrainianborder, will be fully equipped with necessary facilities.[207] In the area that now forms the borderbetween Crimea and Ukraine mining the salt lake inlets from the sea that constitute the natural borders,and in the spit of land left over stretches of no-man's-land with wire on either side was created.[208] Onearly June that year Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a Government resolution №961[209] dated5 June 2014 establishing air, sea, road and railway checkpoints. The adopted decisions create a legalbasis for the functioning of a checkpoint system at the Russian state border in the Republic of Crimeaand Sevastopol.[210]

In the year following the annexation, armed men seized various Crimean businesses, including banks,hotels, shipyards, farms, gas stations, a bakery, a dairy, and Yalta Film Studio.[211][212][213] Russianmedia have noted this trend as "returning to the 90's", which is perceived as a period anarchy and rule ofgangs in Russia.[214]

In 2015 the Investigative Committee of Russia announced about a number of theft and corruption casesin infrastructure projects in Crimea, for example spending that exceeded the actual accounted costs threetimes. A number of Russian officials were also arrested for corruption, including head of federal taxinspection.[215][216]

Human rights situation

In March 2014, Human Rights Watch reported that pro-Ukrainian activists and journalists had beenattacked, abducted, and tortured.[217]

On 9 May 2014 the new "anti-extremist" amendment to the Criminal Code of Russia, passed inDecember 2013, came into force. Article 280.1 designated incitement of violation of territorial integrityof the Russian Federation[218] (incl. calls for secession of Crimea from Russia[219]) as a criminal offensein Russia, punishable by a fine of 300 thousand roubles or imprisonment up to 3 years. If suchstatements are made in public media or the internet, the punishment could be obligatory works up to 480hours or imprisonment up to five years.[218]

Following the annexation of Crimea, according to report released on the Russian government runPresident of Russia's Council on Civil Society and Human Rights website, Tatars who were opposed toRussian rule have been persecuted, Russian law restricting freedom of speech has been imposed, and thenew pro-Russian authorities "liquidated" the Kiev Patriarchate Orthodox church on the peninsula.[36]

After the annexation, on 16 May the new Russian authorities of Crimea issued a ban on the annualcommemorations of the anniversary of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944, citing"possibility of provocation by extremists" as a reason.[220] Previously, when Crimea was controlled byUkraine, these commemorations had taken place every year. The pro-Russian Crimean authorities alsobanned Mustafa Dzhemilev, a human rights activist, Soviet dissident, member of the Ukrainianparliament, and former Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars from entering Crimea.[221]

Additionally, Mejlis reported, that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) raided Tatar

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Map denoting the subdivisions of Ukraineand the percentage of people that indicatedRussian as their native language in thelatest local census. Sevastopol identifiesitself as the highest at 90.6% followedimmediately by Crimea at 77.0%.

homes in the same week, on the pretense of "suspicion of terrorist activity".[222] The Tatar communityeventually did hold commemorative rallies in defiance of the ban.[221][222] In response Russianauthorities flew helicopters over the rallies in an attempt to disrupt them.[223]

In May 2015, a local activist, Alexander Kostenko, was sentenced to four years in a penal colony. Hislawyer, Dmitry Sotnikov, said that the case was fabricated and that his client had been beaten andstarved. Crimean prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya announced that they were judging "not just[Kostenko], but the very idea of fascism and nazism, which are trying to raise their head once again."Sotnikov responded that "There are fabricated cases inRussia, but rarely such humiliation and physical harm. Aliving person is being tortured for a political idea, to be ableto boast winning over fascism."[224] In June 2015, Razomreleased a report compiling human rights abuses inCrimea.[225][226]

Crimean public opinion

A joint survey by American government agencyBroadcasting Board of Governors and polling firm Gallupwas taken during April 2014.[227] It polled 500 residents ofCrimea. The survey found that 82.8% of those polledbelieved that the results of the Crimean status referendumreflected the views of most Crimeans, whereas 6.7% saidthat it did not. 73.9% of those polled said that they thoughtthat the annexation would have a positive impact on theirlives, whereas 5.5% said that it would not. 13.6% said thatthey did not know.[227]

A comprehensive poll released on 8 May 2014 by the Pew Research Centre surveyed Crimean opinionson the annexation.[228] Despite international criticism of 16 March referendum on Crimean status, 91%of those Crimeans polled thought that the vote was free and fair, and 88% said that the Ukrainiangovernment should recognise the results.[228]

Ukrainian responseOn 6 March, Ukraine's then-acting President, Oleksander Turchinov, stated that "The authorities inCrimea are totally illegitimate, both the parliament and the government. They are forced to work underthe barrel of a gun and all their decisions are dictated by fear and are illegal."[229] Immediately after thetreaty of accession was signed in March, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned theProvisional Principal of Russia in Ukraine to present note verbale of protest against Russia's recognitionof the Republic of Crimea and its subsequent annexation.[230] Two days later, the Verkhovna Radacondemned the treaty[231] and called Russia's actions "a gross violation of international law". The Radacalled on the international community to avoid recognition of the "so-called Republic of Crimea" or theannexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia as new federal subjects.

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On 15 April 2014, the Verkhovna Rada declared the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol tobe under "provisional occupation" by the Russian military[232] and imposed travel restrictions onUkrainians visiting Crimea.[233] The territories were also deemed "inalienable parts of Ukraine" subjectto Ukrainian law. Among other things, the special law approved by the Rada restricted foreign citizens'movements to and from the Crimean Peninsula and forbade certain types of entrepreneurship.[234] Thelaw also forbade activity of government bodies formed in violation of Ukrainian law and designatedtheir acts as null and void. The voting rights of Crimea in national Ukrainian elections were alsosuspended.[235] The law had little to no actual effect in Crimea itself due to the mutual non-recognitionbetween Kiev and Simferopol.

Ukrainian authorities greatly reduced the volume of water flowing into Crimea via the North CrimeanCanal due to huge debt for water supplied in previous year, threatening the viability of the peninsula'sagricultural crops, which are heavily dependent on irrigation.[236]

The Ukrainian National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting has instructed all cable operators onMarch 11 to stop transmitting a number of Russian channels, including the international versions of themain state-controlled stations, Rossiya-1, Channel One and NTV, as well as news channel Rossiya-cableoperators on.[237]They have claimed that this is because of Russian media showing them in a negativelight.

In March 2014, activists began organising flash mobs in supermarkets to urge customers not to buyRussian goods and to boycott Russian gas stations, banks, and concerts. In April 2014, some cinemas inKiev, Lviv, and Odessa began shunning Russian films.[238]

In December 2014, Ukraine halted all train and bus services to Crimea.[239]

On 16 September 2015 the Ukrainian parliament voted for the law that sets 20 February 2014 as theofficial date of the Russian temporary occupation of Crimean peninsula.[240][241] On 7 October 2015 thePresident of Ukraine signed the law into force.[242]

Russian responseIn a poll published on 24 February by the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center, only15% of those Russians polled said 'yes' to the question: "Should Russia react to the overthrow of thelegally elected authorities in Ukraine?"[243]

The State Duma Committee on Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, headed by LeonidSlutsky, visited Simferopol on 25 February 2014 and said: "If the parliament of the Crimean autonomyor its residents express the wish to join the Russian Federation, Russia will be prepared to consider thissort of application. We will be examining the situation and doing so fast."[244] They also stated that inthe event of a referendum for Crimea region joining Russian Federation they would consider its results"very fast".[245] Later Slutsky announced that he was misunderstood by Crimean press and no decisionregarding simplifying the process of acquiring Russian citizenship for people in Crimea has been madeyet.[246] And added that if "fellow Russian citizens are in jeopardy you understand that we do not stayaway".[247] On 25 February, in a meeting with Crimean politicians he stated that Viktor Yanukovychwas still the legitimate president of Ukraine.[248] That same day in the Russian Duma, they announced

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Request ("ultimatum") by Council ofMinisters of Crimea to Ukrainian55th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regimentin Yevpatoria to lay down arms undercontrol of Russian Black Sea Fleet forthe period of Crimean referendum

they were determining measures so that Russians in Ukraine who"did not want to break from the Russian World" could acquireRussian citizenship.[249]

On 26 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered theRussian Armed Forces to be "put on alert in the Western MilitaryDistrict as well as units stationed with the 2nd Army CentralMilitary District Command involved in aerospace defence,airborne troops and long-range military transport." Despite mediaspeculation it was for in reaction to the events in UkraineRussian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said it was in separateconsideration from the unrest in Ukraine.[250] On 27 February2014, the Russian government dismissed accusations aboutviolation by the Russian side of the basic agreements in regardsof the Black Sea Fleet: "All movements of armored vehicles areundertaken in full compliance with the basic agreements and didnot require any approvals".[251][252][253]

On 27 February, the Russian governing agencies presented thenew law project on granting citizenship.[254]

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the West andparticularly NATO to "abandon the provocative statements andrespect the neutral status of Ukraine".[255] In its statement theministry claims that agreement on settlement of the crisis which was signed on 21 February and waswitnessed by foreign ministries from Germany, Poland and France has to this date, not beenimplemented[255] (Vladimir Lukin from Russia had not signed it[256]).

On 28 February, according to ITAR-TASS, the Russian Ministry of Transport discontinued its furthertalks with Ukraine in regards to the Kerch Strait Bridge project.[257] However, on 3 March DmitryMedvedev, the Prime Minister of Russia, signed a decree creating a subsidiary of Russian Highways(Avtodor) to build a bridge at an unspecified location along the Kerch strait.[258][259]

On Russian social networks there is a movement to gather volunteers who served in the Russian army togo to Ukraine.[260]

On 28 February President Putin stated it was of "extreme importance of not allowing a further escalationof violence and the necessity of a rapid normalisation of the situation in Ukraine" in telephone calls withkey EU leaders.[261] Already on 19 February the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to theEuromaidan revolution as the "Brown revolution".[262][263]

The Federation Council approved that Russia may introduce a limited contingent of Russian troops inCrimea for the security of the Black Sea Fleet and the Russians.[264]

In Moscow, on 2 March, an estimated 27,000 rallied in support of the Russian government's decision tointervene in Ukraine.[265] The rallies received considerable attention on Russian state TV and wereofficially sanctioned by the government.[265]

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At least 30,000 people at 15March protests, namedMarch of Peace, which tookplace in Moscow a daybefore the Crimeanreferendum.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (seated, middle)speaks to the press on 4 March 2014, denouncingthe events in Kiev as an "unconstitutional coup",and insisting that Moscow has a right to protectRussians in Ukraine.[274]

Meanwhile, on 1 March, five people who were picketing next to theFederation Council building against the invasion of Ukraine werearrested.[266] The next day about 200 people protested at the building ofthe Russian Ministry of Defence in Moscow against Russian militaryinvolvement.[267] About 500 people also gathered to protest on theManezhnaya Square in Moscow and the same number of people on theSaint Isaac's Square in Saint Petersburg.[268] On 2 March, about elevenprotesters demonstrated in Yekaterinburg against Russian involvement,with some wrapped in the Ukrainian flag.[269] Protests were also held inChelyabinsk on the same day.[270] The opposition to the militaryintervention was also expressed by rock musician Andrey Makarevich,who wrote in particular: "You want war with Ukraine? It will not be theway it was with Abkhazia: the folks on the Maidan have been hardenedand know what they are fighting for – for their country, theirindependence. [...] We have to live with them. Still neighborly. Andpreferably in friendship. But it's up to them how they want to live".[271]

The Professor of the Department of Philosophy at the Moscow StateInstitute of International Relations Andrey Zubov was fired for his articlein Vedomosti, criticising Russian military intervention.[272]

On 2 March, one Moscow resident protested against Russian intervention by holding "Stop the war"banner, but he was immediately harassed by passers-by and when the police was arresting him, a womanoffered them fabricating a serious charge (beating up a child) against him; however, the proposal wasrejected by the police.[273] Andrei Zubov, a professor at the Moscow State Institute of InternationalRelations, who compared Russian actions in Crimea to the Anschluss of Austria, was threatened.Akexander Chuyev, the leader of the pro-Kremlin Spravedlivaya Rossiya party, also objected to Russianintervention in Ukraine. Boris Akunin, popular Russian writer, predicted that Russia's moves would leadto political and economic isolation.[273]

President Putin's approval rating among the Russianpublic has increased by nearly 10% since the crisisbegan, up to 71.6%, the highest in three years,according to a poll conducted by the All-RussianCenter for Public Opinion Research, released on 19March.[275] Additionally, the same poll showed thatmore than 90% of Russians supported unification withthe Crimean Republic.[275]

On 4 March, at press conference in Novo-OgaryovoPresident Putin expressed his view on the situationthat if a revolution took place in Ukraine, it is a newcountry with which Russia did not conclude anytreaties.[276] He brought up an analogy with events of1917 in Russia, when as a result of the revolution theRussian Empire fell apart and a new state wascreated.[276] However, he stated Ukraine would still have to honour its debts.

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Around 100,000 people gathered in CrimeanSevastopol at Victory Day parade

Russian politicians have speculated that there arealready 143,000 Ukrainian refugees in Russia.[277]

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refutedthose claims of refugees increase in Russia.[278] At abriefing on 4 March 2014, the director of departmentof information policy of the Ministry of ForeignAffairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebiynis claimed thatRussia was misinforming its own citizens as well asthe entire international community to justify its ownactions in the Crimea.[279]

On 5 March, an anchor of the Russian-ownedinternational news channel RT America, Abby Martin,in an interview with Piers Morgan, said she "did notagree" with how her employer RT was covering theUkrainian crisis, but claims RT still supports her despite her differences of opinion.[280] Also on 5March 2014, another RT America anchor, Liz Wahl, of the network's Washington, DC bureau, resignedon air, explaining that she could not be "part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin" andciting her Hungarian ancestry and the memory of the Soviet repression of the Hungarian Uprising as afactor in her decision.[281]

In early March, Igor Andreyev, a 75-year-old survivor of the Siege of Leningrad, attended an anti-warrally against the Russian intervention in Crimea and was holding a sign that read "Peace to the World".The riot police arrested him and a local pro-government lawyer then accused him of being a supporter of"fascism". The retiree, who lived on a 6,500-ruble monthly pension, was fined 10,000 rubles.[282]

Prominent dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky said that Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broaderautonomy.[283]

Tatarstan, a republic within Russia populated by Volga Tatars, has sought to alleviate concerns abouttreatment of Tatars by Russia, as Tatarstan is a gas-rich and economically successful republic inRussia.[284] On 5 March, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov signed an agreement on co-operation between Tatarstan and the Aksyonov government in Crimea that implied collaborationbetween ten government institutions as well as significant financial aid to Crimea from Tatarstanbusinesses.[284] On 11 March, Minnikhanov was in Crimea on his second visit and attended as a guestpresent in the Crimean parliament chamber during the vote on the declaration of sovereignty pending the16 March referendum.[284] The Tatarstan's Mufti Kamil Samigullin invited Crimean Tatars to study inmadrasas in Kazan and declared support for their "brothers in faith and blood".[284] Mustafa Dzhemilev,a former leader of the Crimean Tatar Majlis believes that forces that are suspected to be Russian forcesshould leave the Crimean peninsula,[284] and has asked the UN Security Council to send peacekeepersinto the region.[285]

On 13 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a comparison between Crimea and Kosovo in aphone call with US President Barack Obama.[286]

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International reaction to the 2014 Crimean crisisaccording to official governmental statements.[b]

   Statements only voicing concern or hope forpeaceful resolution to the conflict

   Support for Ukrainian territorial integrity

   Condemnation of Russian actions

   Condemnation of Russian actions as a militaryintervention or invasion

   Support for Russian actions and/orcondemnation of the Ukrainian interim government

   Recognition of Russian interests

   Ukraine

   Russia

   No official statements / No data available

On 15 March, thousands of protesters (estimates varying from 3,000 by official sources up to 50,000claimed by opposition) in Moscow marched against Russian involvement in Ukraine, many wavingUkrainian flags.[287] At the same time a pro government (and pro-referendum) rally, occurred across thestreet, counted thousands as well (officials claiming 27,000 with opposition claiming about 10,000).

In February 2015, the leading independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported[288] that itobtained documents, allegedly written by oligarch Konstantin Malofayev and others, which provided theRussian government with a strategy in the event of Viktor Yanukovych's removal from power and thebreak-up of Ukraine, which were considered likely. The documents outline plans for annexation ofCrimea and the eastern portions of the country, closely describing the events that actually followed afterYanukovych's fall. The documents also describe plans for a public relations campaign which would seekto justify Russian actions.[289][290][291]

In June 2015 Mikhail Kasyanov stated that all Russian Duma decisions on Crimea annexation wereillegal from the international point of view and the annexation was provoked by false accusations ofdiscrimination of Russian nationals in Ukraine.[292]

International responseThere have been a range of international reactions tothe annexation. The UN General Assembly passed anon-binding resolution 100 in favour, 11 against and58 abstentions in the 193-nation assembly thatdeclared invalid Crimea's Moscow-backedreferendum.[293] In a move supported by theLithuanian President,[294] the United Statesgovernment imposed sanctions against persons theydeem to have violated or assisted in the violation ofUkraine's sovereignty.[295] The European Unionsuspended talks with Russia on economic and visa-related matters, and is considering more stringentsanctions against Russia in the near future, includingasset freezes.[296][297] while Japan announcedsanctions which include suspension of talks relatingto military, space, investment, and visarequirements.[298] The EU Commission decided on11 March to enter into a full free-trade agreementwith Ukraine within the year.[299] On 12 March, theEuropean Parliament rejected the upcomingreferendum on independence in Crimea, which theysaw as manipulated and contrary to international andUkrainian law.[300] The G7 bloc of developednations (the G8 minus Russia) made a jointstatement condemning Russia and announced thatthey would suspend preparations for the planned G8summit in Sochi in June.[301][302] NATO condemned Russia's military escalation in Crimea and statedthat it was breach of international law[303] while the Council of Europe expressed its full support for the

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Results of the United Nations General Assemblyvote about the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

   In favour    Against    Abstentions

   Absent    Non-members

territorial integrity and national unity of Ukraine.[304] The Visegrád Group has issued a joint statementurging Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and for Ukraine to take into account its minoritygroups to not further break fragile relations. It has urged for Russia to respect Ukrainian andinternational law and in line with the provisions ofthe 1994 Budapest Memorandum.[305]

China said "We respect the independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine". Aspokesman restated China's belief of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nationsand urged dialogue.[306][307]

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon ofIndia stated that Russia has legitimate interests inCrimea and called for "sustained diplomatic efforts"and "constructive dialogue" to resolve the crisis.[308]

However, the National Security Advisor is not a part of the Cabinet of India and, as such, Menon'sstatement was not an official statement issued by the government of India.[309] However, Indiasubsequently made it clear that it will not support any "unilateral measures" against Russian government."India has never supported unilateral sanctions against any country. Therefore, we will also not supportany unilateral measures by a country or a group of countries against Russia."[310] Both Syria andVenezuela openly support Russian military action. Syrian President Bashar al Assad said that hesupports Putin's efforts to "restore security and stability in the friendly country of Ukraine", whileVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned Ukraine's "ultra-nationalist" coup.[311][312] Sri Lankadescribed Yanukovych's removal as unconstitutional and considered Russia's concerns in Crimea asjustified.[313]

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for change in EU energy policy as Germany's dependence onRussian gas poses risks for Europe.[314]

On 13 March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the Russian government it risks massivedamage to Russia, economically and politically, if it refuses to change course on Ukraine,[314] thoughclose economic links between Germany and Russia significantly reduce the scope for any sanctions.[315]

After Russia moved to formally incorporate Crimea, some worried whether it may not do the same inother regions.[316] US deputy national security advisor Tony Blinken said that the Russian troops massedon the eastern Ukrainian border may be preparing to enter the country's eastern regions. Russian officialsstated that Russian troops would not enter other areas.[316] US Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove,NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, warned that the same troops were in a position to takeover the separatist Russian-speaking Moldovan province of Transnistria.[316]

On 9 April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe deprived Russia of voting rights.[317]

On 14 August, while visiting Crimea, Vladimir Putin ruled out pushing beyond Crimea. He undertook todo everything he could to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying Russia needed to build calmly and withdignity, not by confrontation and war which isolated it from the rest of the world.[318]

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UN Security Council vote on a draft resolutioncondemning the 2014 Crimean referendum.

   Voted in favour of the resolution

   Abstained

   Vetoed the resolution

UN General Assembly vote on the resolutioncondemning the 2014 Crimean referendum.

   In favour of considering the referendum illegal

   Against adopting the resolution

   Abstained

   Absent when the vote took place

United Nations resolutions

Security Council resolution

On 15 March 2014, a US-sponsored resolution wasput forward to vote in the UN Security Council toreaffirm council's commitment to Ukraine's"sovereignty, independence, unity and territorialintegrity." A total of 13 council members voted infavour of the resolution, China abstained, whileRussia vetoed the U.N. resolution declaring Crimeanreferendum, 2014, on the future of CrimeanPeninsula, as illegal.[319]

General Assembly resolution

On 27 March 2014, the UN General Assemblyapproved a resolution describing the referendumleading to annexation of Crimea by Russia asillegal.[320] The draft resolution, which was titled"Territorial integrity of Ukraine", was co-sponsoredby Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania,Poland, Ukraine and the US. It affirmed thecouncil's commitment to the "sovereignty, politicalindependence, unity and territorial integrity ofUkraine within its internationally recognisedborders." The resolution tried to underscore that the16 March referendum held in Crimea and the city ofSevastopol has no validity and cannot form the basisfor any alteration of the status of the AutonomousRepublic of Crimea or of the city of Sevastopol. Theresolution got 100 votes in its favour, while 11 nations voted against and 58 countries abstained from thevote. The resolution was non-binding and the vote was largely symbolic.[321]

Recognition

The vast majority of the international community has not recognised the Republic of Crimea andSevastopol as part of Russia. Most nations in North America, Central America, Europe, Oceania, andAfrica, as well as Asia outside of the former Soviet republics, have openly rejected the referendum andthe accession, and instead consider Crimea and Sevastopol to be administrative divisions of Ukraine.The remainder have largely remained neutral. The vote on United Nations General Assembly Resolution68/262 (supporting the position that Crimea and Sevastopol remain part of Ukraine) was 100 to 11 infavour, with 58 states abstaining and a further 24 of the 193 member states not voting through beingabsent when the vote took place.

Several members of the United Nations have made statements about their recognition of the Republic ofCrimea and Sevastopol as federal subjects of Russia:

 Afghanistan[322]

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 Cuba[323]

 Nicaragua[324]

 North Korea[325]

 Russia[326]

 Syria[327]

 Venezuela[327]

The position of Belarus is vague: it includes statements made by Alexander Lukashenko that "Ukraineshould remain an integral, indivisible, non-aligned state" and "As for Crimea, I do not like it when theintegrity and independence of a country are broken", on the one hand, and "Today Crimea is part of theRussian Federation. No matter whether you recognize it or not, the fact remains." and "Whether Crimeawill be recognised as a region of the Russian Federation de-jure does not really matter", on the otherhand.[328]

Three non-UN member states recognised the results of the referendum: Abkhazia, South Ossetia, andNagorno-Karabakh. A fourth, Transnistria, sent a request on 18 March 2014 to join the RussianFederation following the Crimean example and in compliance with the Admission Lawprovisions.[329][330][331] On 16 April 2014 Transnistria urged Russia and the United Nations to recogniseits independence.[332] Putin is aware of Transnistria's recognition request, according to DmitryPeskov.[333]

Commentary

Russian opposition activist and chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, former US National SecurityAdvisor Zbigniew Brzezinski,[334] former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Ukrainian MP LesyaOrobets (Batkivshchyna), former foreign minister of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg, as wellas the Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada John Baird all compared Russia's actions and Putin's words toNazi Germany's policy before the start of World War II, after the 1936 Olympic Games inBerlin.[335][336][337][338][339]

German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Minister of ForeignAffairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier all stated that such comparisons are unacceptable.[340] HoweverChancellor Merkel also said "The so-called referendum…, the declaration of independence …, and theabsorption into the Russian Federation (were), in our firm opinion,…against international law"[341] andthat it was "shameful" for Russia to compare the independence of Kosovo with the referendum on theRussian annexation of Crimea.[342] In March, 2015, after talks with Petro Poroshenko, Angela Merkelremarked that the annexation was in violation of international law, and therefore it's Germany's goal torestore the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.[343]

British prime minister David Cameron said "No amount of sham and perverse democratic process orskewed historical references can make up for the fact that this is an incursion into a sovereign state and aland grab of part of its territory with no respect for the law of that country or for international law."[344]

American president Barack Obama commented, "the Crimean 'referendum,' which violates the Ukrainianconstitution and occurred under duress of Russian military intervention, would never be recognised bythe United States and the international community."[345]

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The European Council and the European Commission made the joint statement "The European Uniondoes neither recognise the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea nor its outcome."[346]

Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt called Russia's actions "perfectly understandable",and considers sanctions being imposed by the US and EU "foolish".[347]

Czech President Miloš Zeman said: "Even though I understand the interests of Crimea’s Russian-speaking majority, which was annexed to Ukraine by Khrushchev, we have our experience with the1968 Russian military invasion."[348] Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves stated that theannexation was "done too quickly and professionally not to have been planned far in advance" and saidthat the failure of the Budapest Memorandum "may have far-reaching implications for generations. Idon't know what country in the future would ever give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for a securityguarantee."[349]

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has defended the referendum that led to Crimea's annexationby Russia: "While Crimea had previously been joined to Ukraine [in 1954] based on the Soviet laws,which means [Communist] party laws, without asking the people, now the people themselves havedecided to correct that mistake."[350]

Sanctions

Sanctions were imposed to prevent Russian and Crimean officials and politicians travelling to Canada,the United States, and the European Union. They were the most wide-ranging used on Russia since the1991 fall of the Soviet Union.[351]

Japan announced milder sanctions than the US and EU. These include suspension of talks relating tomilitary, space, investment, and visa requirements.[352]

In response to the sanctions introduced by the US and EU, the Russian Duma unanimously passed aresolution asking for all members of the Duma to be included on the sanctions list.[353] Head of theopposition A Just Russia party Sergei Mironov said he was proud of being included on the sanctions list,"It is with pride that I have found myself on the black list, this means they have noticed my stance onCrimea."[353] Russian companies started pulling billions of dollars out of Western banks to avoid anyasset freeze.[354]

Three days after the lists were published, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a reciprocal sanctionslist of US citizens, which consisted of 10 names, including House of Representatives Speaker JohnBoehner, Senator John McCain, and two advisers to President Obama. The ministry said in thestatement, "Treating our country in such way, as Washington could have already ascertained, isinappropriate and counterproductive," and reiterated that sanctions against Russia would have aboomerang effect.[355] Several of those sanctioned responded with pride at their inclusion on the list,including John Boehner,[356] John McCain,[356] Bob Menendez,[357] Dan Coats,[356] MaryLandrieu,[358] and Harry Reid.[358]

On 24 March, Russia has imposed retaliatory sanctions on 13 Canadian officials including members ofthe Parliament of Canada,[359] banning them from entering Russia. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird,said the sanctions were "a badge of honour."[360] Former Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler also said that

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he considered the sanctions a badge of honour, not a mark of exclusion.[359]

In March 2014, The Christian Science Monitor reported, "The good news is that so far, Russia hasshown no inclination to use the NDN [ Northern Distribution Network, key supply line to Afghanistanthat runs through Russia] as leverage in the wake of US retaliation for its troop movements inCrimea."[361]

Expanded Western sanctions in mid-March coursed through financial markets, hitting the businessinterests of some Russia's richest people.[362] The Americans' centred on the heart of Moscow'sleadership,[363] though the EU's initial list shied from targeting Putin's inner circle.[364] As ratingsagencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's downgraded Russia's credit outlook,[365] Russian banks warned ofa sanctions-induced recession,[366] the country braced for capital outflows for the first three months of2014 to reach $70 billion,[367] more than the entirety of outflows for 2013,[368] and Russian government-bond issues plummeted by three-quarters compared with the same period the previous year.[369]

Novatek, Russia's second-largest gas producer, saw $2.5bn in market value wiped out when its sharessank by nearly 10%, rendering Putin's close friend Gennady Timchenko, who has a 23% stake in thecompany, $575m poorer.[362] "I do hope that there is some serious diplomatic activity going on behindthe scenes," said one Russian banker,[370] though others were more sanguine on the question of whetherthe sanctions would have any enduring effect,[365][371][372] and Russians, top and bottom, seemeddefiant.[373] The official Russian response was mixed.[374]

Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexey Ulyukaev said what introductionof sectoral sanctions will lead to a serious decline of the Russian economy: economic growth of Russiawill became seriously negative, the growth of volumes of investment will be even more negative,inflation will be on the rise, and government revenues and reserves will go down.[375]

As well as differences between the United States and Europe as a whole as to how to respond to theRussian-backed incursion, those same differences have played out among Eastern Europeancountries.[376]

A number of Russian citizens reported that they have been denied European visas after they visitedCrimea after annexation.[377] A Russian consumer protection watchdog OZPP published a warning forRussian tourists about this risk, explaining that from the international law point of view Crimea is anoccupied territory, after which Roskomnadzor blocked the OZPP website "for threatenting territorialintegrity of Russian federation".[378]

Mapping

As of March 2015 the United Nations still maps Crimea as belonging to Ukraine.[379]

National Geographic Society stated that their policy is "to portray current reality" and "Crimea, ifit is formally annexed by Russia, would be shaded gray", but also further remarked that this stepdoes not suggest recognising legitimacy of such.[380] As of April 2014 Crimea is still displayed aspart of Ukraine.[381]

As of April 2014, Google Maps displays Crimea as a disputed territory to most viewers.[381] Forthe Russian and Ukrainian versions of website, Crimea is marked as belonging to correspondingcountry (Russia or Ukraine respectively).[381][382] Google stated that it "work with sources to get

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the best interpretation of the border or claim lines".[383]

As of April 2014, Yandex displays Crimea as Russian, except for users entering from theirUkrainian site and their Turkish site. Users visiting Yandex.ru from Russia will see Crimeadisplayed as Russian territory, users visiting yandex.ua from Ukraine will see Crimea as Ukrainianand all other users (from other countries) will see Crimea as Russian territory.[381] According toofficial statement, the company works with users from different countries and "displays realitythat surrounds them".[384]

As of March 2014, Bing Maps,[385] OpenStreetMap and HERE display Crimea as belonging toUkraine.[381] In particular, Open Street Map requested its users to refrain from editing borders andadministrative relations of subdivisions located in Autonomous Republic of Crimea andSevastopol until 31 May 2014.[381] On 5 June 2014 OpenStreetMap switched to a territorialdispute option, displaying Crimea as a disputed territory belonging to both countries.[386]

As of March 2014, Mail.Ru maps display Crimea as part of Russia[381][387]

Economic impactWhile initially (right after the annexation), salaries rose, especially those of government workers, thiswas soon offset by the increase in prices caused by the depreciation of the ruble. Subsequently, afterRussian authority became established, wages were cut back again by 30% to 70%. Tourism, previouslyCrimea's main industry, suffered in particular; it was down by 50% from 2014.[388] Crimean agriculturalyields were also significantly impacted by the annexation. Ukraine cut off supplies of water through theNorth Crimean Canal, causing the 2014 rice crop to fail, and greatly damaging the maize and soybeancrops.[389]

See alsoTrolls from OlginoReaction of Russian intelligentsia to the 2014 annexation of CrimeaSimferopol incidentIrredentism

Notesa. Dilanian (2014) "CIA director John Brennan told a senior lawmaker Monday that a 1997 treaty between

Russia and Ukraine allows up to 25,000 Russia troops in the vital Crimea region, so Russia may not considerits recent troop movements to be an invasion, U.S. officials said."[124]

b. If an official position can be sorted in more than one category, the "strongest" position was marked (from the"call for a peaceful resolution" to "interpretation as a military intervention" consecutively). For the sourcessee the image description.

1. It also noted that "certain politicians, local government officials, leaders of civil society organizations, andradically inclined individuals have attempted to create grounds for escalating the civil conflict, and havespread autonomous and separatist attitudes among the people, which could lead to the demise of our as aunited nation and loss of its national sovereignty." In addition, the statement said that certain lawmakers ofevery level have begun separatist negotiations with representatives of foreign nations. "Open consultationsare being held on the possible division of the country into separate parts in violation of the Ukrainianconstitution," read the statement. "This could lead to an escalation of conflict between different sectors ofsociety, inciting ethnic or religious hatred and military conflict."[69]