This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Iryna Harpy (talk | contribs) at 03:25, 1 July 2015 (Reverted good faith edits by Kravietz (talk): Rv This source has not been evaluated as being WP:RS. (TW)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 03:25, 1 July 2015 by Iryna Harpy (talk | contribs) (Reverted good faith edits by Kravietz (talk): Rv This source has not been evaluated as being WP:RS. (TW))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For the 1783 annexation, see Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Empire.
Crimean Crisis Annexation of Crimea | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the Ukrainian crisis | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Russia | Ukraine | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Protesters
Volunteer units
Russian military forces
Ukrainian Armed Forces defectors
|
Protesters
Ukrainian military forces
| ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 Crimean SDF trooper killed |
2 soldiers killed, | ||||||
3 protesters died (2 pro-Russian and 1 pro-Ukrainian) |
The internationally recognised Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March 2014. From the time of the annexation on 18 March 2014, Russia has de facto administered the territory as two federal subjects—the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol—within the Crimean Federal District. The political crisis surrounding the annexation is referred to as the Crimean Crisis.
The military intervention and annexation by Russia took place in the aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution. It was a part of the wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine. On 22–23 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an all-night meeting with security services chiefs to discuss extrication of deposed President, Viktor Yanukovych, and at the end of that meeting Putin had remarked that "we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia." On 23 February pro-Russian demonstrations were held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. On 27 February masked Russian troops without insignias took over the Supreme Council of Crimea, and captured strategic sites across Crimea, which led to the installation of the pro-Russian Aksyonov government in Crimea, the declaration of Crimea's independence and the holding of a disputed, unconstitutional referendum.
The event was condemned by many world leaders, as well as NATO, as an illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory, in violation of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, signed by Russia. It led to the other members of the then G8 temporarily suspending Russia from the group, then introducing the first round of sanctions against the country.
Russia opposes the "annexation" label, with Putin defending the referendum as complying with international law. Ukraine disputes this, as it does not recognise the independence of the Republic of Crimea or the accession itself as legitimate. The United Nations General Assembly also rejected the vote and annexation, adopting a non-binding resolution affirming the "territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders". The resolution also "nderscores that the referendum , having no validity, cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of ." The resolution draws attention to the obligation of all States and international organizations not to recognize or to imply the recognition of Russia's annexation.
Background
Main article: Historical background of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine § CrimeaCrimea became part of the Russian Empire in 1783, when the Crimean Khanate was annexed. It was incorporated into the Empire as ]. In 1795, Crimea was merged into Novorossiysk Governorate, and in 1803, it was again separated from it into Taurida Governorate. A series of short-lived governments (Crimean People's Republic, Crimean Regional Government, Crimean SSR) were established during first stages of the Russian Civil War, but they were followed by White Russian (General Command of the Armed Forces of South Russia, later South Russian Government) and, finally, Soviet (Crimean ASSR) incorporations of Crimea into their own states. After the Second World War and the subsequent deportation of all of the indigenous Crimean Tatars, the Crimean ASSR was stripped of its autonomy in 1946 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 of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. However, it was unclear whether the transfer affected the peninsula's largest city of Sevastopol, which enjoyed a special status in the postwar Soviet Union, and in 1993, the Supreme Soviet of Russia claimed Sevastopol was part of Russia, resulting in a territorial dispute with Ukraine.
See also: Political status of Crimea § Status of SevastopolIn 1989, under perestroika, the Supreme Soviet declared the deportation of the Crimean Tatars under Stalin had been illegal, and the mostly Muslim ethnic group was allowed to return to Crimea.
In 1990, the Crimean Oblast Soviet proposed the restoration of the Crimean ASSR. The oblast conducted a referendum in 1991, which asked whether Crimea should be elevated into a signatory of the New Union Treaty (that is, became a union republic on its own). By that time, though, the dissolution of the Soviet Union was well underway. The Crimean ASSR was restored for less than a year as part of Soviet Ukraine before Ukrainian independence. Newly independent Ukraine maintained Crimea's autonomous status, while the Supreme Council of Crimea affirmed the peninsula's "state sovereignty".
Further information: Political status of Crimea § BackgroundOn 21 May 1992, the Supreme Soviet of Russia adopted a resolution, which declared Crimea's 1954 transfer invalid and called for trilateral negotiations on the peninsula's status. Confrontation between the president and parliament of Russia, which later erupted into armed conflict in Moscow, prevented this declaration from having any actual effect in Crimea or Ukraine.
From 1992 to 1994, various pro-Russian political movements attempted to separate Crimea from Ukraine. The 1994 regional elections represented a high point for pro-Russian political factions in Crimea. But the elections came at a difficult time for Crimeans who wanted to rejoin Russia, as the Russian government was engaged in a rapprochement with the Western world and the Ukrainian government was determined to safeguard its sovereignty. These factors enabled Ukrainian authorities to abolish the Crimean presidency and constitution by 1995, without any meaningful interference or protest from Ukraine's eastern neighbour. Afterwards, pro-Russian movements largely waned, and in 1998, the separatists lost the Crimean Supreme Council election.
During the 2000s, as tensions between Russia and several of its neighbours rose, the likelihood of Russian-Ukrainian conflict around Crimea increased. A Council on Foreign Relations report released in 2009 outlined a scenario under which Russia could intervene in Crimea to protect "Russian compatriots", potentially with the backing of Crimean Tatars.
Anti-NATO motivated protests took place in the Crimean city of Feodosiya late May/early June 2006.
In 2009, the United States carried out the Russian reset, an attempt to "reset" relations with Russia. In the wake of the annexation, In 2014, after the annexation, Former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Adam Rotfeld stated that the Russians interpreted the reset as a sign of "weakness", giving them an opportunity to act.
Euromaidan and the Ukrainian revolution
Main articles: Euromaidan and 2014 Ukrainian revolutionThe Euromaidan movement began in late November 2013 with protests in Kiev against pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who won election in 2010 with strong support in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and southern and eastern Ukraine. The Crimean government strongly supported Yanukovych and condemned the protests, saying they were "threatening political stability in the country". The Supreme Council of Crimea supported the government's decision to suspend negotiations on the pending Ukraine-EU Association Agreement and urged Crimeans to "strengthen friendly ties with Russian regions".
On 4 February 2014, the Presidium of the Supreme Council considered holding a referendum on the peninsula's status and asking the government of Russia to guarantee the vote. The Security Service of Ukraine responded by opening a criminal case to investigate the possible "subversion" of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
The Euromaidan protests reached a fever pitch in February 2014, and Yanukovych and many of his ministers fled the capital. After opposition factions and defectors from Yanukovych's Party of Regions cobbled together a parliamentary quorum in the Verkhovna Rada, the national legislature voted on 22 February to remove Viktor Yanukovych from his post on the grounds that he was unable to fulfill his duties, although the legislative removal lacked the required three quarter vote of sitting MPs according to the constitution in effect at the time, which the Rada also voted to nullify. Russian foreign minister Lavrov described it as a coup d'état. although it was widely recognised internationally.
History
See also: Anti-Maidan and 2014–15 Russian military intervention in Ukraine Further information: Timeline of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian FederationCrimean crisis begins
The February 2014 revolution that ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, driven by the Euromaidan movement, sparked a political crisis in Crimea, which initially manifested as demonstrations against the new interim Ukrainian government, but rapidly escalated due to Russia's overt support for separatist political factions. In January 2014 the Sevastopol city council had already set up local "self-defence" units.
Crimean parliament members called for an extraordinary meeting on 21 February. Crimean Tatar Mejlis chairman Mustafa Dzhemilev said that he suspected that the meeting was arranged to call for Russian military intervention in Crimea, stating "Tomorrow may be a decision that will bring chaos and disaster to Crimea". Several scholars previously discussed the possibility of Russian military intervention in Crimea, due to its unique geopolitical nature and demographics. 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 territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine". The party with the largest number of seats in the Crimean parliament (80 of 100), the Party of Regions of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, did not discuss Crimean secession, and were supportive of an agreement between President Yanukovych and Euromaidan activists to end the unrest that was struck on the same day in Kiev.
Crimean prime minister Anatolii Mohyliov said that his government recognised the new provisional government in Kiev, and that the Crimean autonomous government would carry out all laws passed by the Ukrainian parliament. In Simferopol, a pro-Euromaidan rally of between 5,000–15,000 was held in support of the new government, and demanding the resignation of the Crimean parliament; attendees waved Ukrainian, Tatar, and European Union flags. Meanwhile, in Sevastopol, thousands protested against the new Ukrainian government, voted to establish a parallel administration, and created civil defence squads with the support of the Russian Night Wolves motorcycle club. Protesters waved Russian flags, chanted "Putin is our president!", and claimed they would refuse to further pay taxes to the Ukrainian state. Russian military convoys were also alleged to be seen in the area. In Kerch, pro-Russian protesters attempted to remove the Ukrainian flag from atop city hall and replace it with the flag of Russia. Over 200 attended, waving Russian, orange-and-black St. George, and the Russian Unity party flags. Mayor Oleh Osadchy attempted to disperse the crowd and police eventually arrived to defend the flag. The mayor said "This is the territory of Ukraine, Crimea. Here's a flag of Crimea", but was accused of treason and a fight ensued over the flagpole. On 24 February, more rallied outside the Sevastopol city state administration. Pro-Russian demonstrators accompanied by neo-Cossacks demanded the election of a Russian citizen as mayor and hoisted Russian flags around the city administration; they also handed out leaflets to sign up for a self-defence militia, warning that the "Blue-Brown Europlague is knocking."
On 25 February, several hundred pro-Russian protesters blocked the Crimean parliament demanding a referendum on Crimea's independence. On the same day, Sevastopol illegally elected Alexei Chaly, a Russian 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. 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 forces could 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 Affairs Minister, condemned the events in the city as a coup. "Chaly represents the interests of the Kremlin which likely gave its tacit approval," he said. Sevastopol City State Administration chairman Vladimir Yatsuba was booed and heckled on 23 February, when he told a pro-Russian rally that Crimea was a part of Ukraine. He resigned the next day. In Simferopol, the Regional State Administration building was blockaded with hundreds of protesters, including neo-Cossacks, demanding a referendum of separation; the rally was organized by the Crimean Front.
On 26 February, thousands clashed during opposing rallies in Simferopol. Near the Supreme Council of Crimea building 4,000 and 5,000 Crimean Tatars and supporters of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement faced 600-700 supporters of pro-Russian organizations and the Russian Unity Party. Supreme Council Chairman Vladimir Konstantinov said that the Crimean parliament would not consider separation from Ukraine, and that earlier reports that parliament would hold a debate on the matter were provocations. 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. By nightfall the Crimean Tatars had left; several hundred Russian Unity supporters rallied on. The new Ukrainian government's acting Internal Affairs Minister Arsen Avakov tasked Crimean law enforcement agencies not to provoke conflicts and to do whatever necessary to prevent clashes with pro-Russian forces; and he added "I think, that way - through a dialogue - we shall achieve much more than with standoffs". New Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko requested that the United Nations provide around-the-clock monitoring of the security situation in Crimea. Russian troops took control of the main route to Sevastopol on orders from Russian president Vladimir Putin. A military checkpoint, with a Russian flag and Russian military vehicles, was set up on the main highway between the city and Simferopol.
On 27 February, unidentified troops widely suspected of being Russian special forces seized the building of the Supreme Council of Crimea (the regional parliament) and the building of the Council of Ministers in Simferopol. Russian flags were raised over these buildings, and barricades were erected outside them. Whilst the "little green men" were occupying the Crimean parliament building, the parliament held an emergency session. It voted to terminate the Crimean government, and replace Prime Minister Anatolii Mohyliov with Sergey Aksyonov. Aksyonov belonged to the Russian Unity party, which received 4% of the vote in the last election. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Crimea is appointed by the Supreme Council of Crimea in consultation with the President of Ukraine. Both Aksyonov and speaker Vladimir Konstantinov stated that they viewed Viktor Yanukovych as the de jure president of Ukraine, through whom they were able to ask Russia for assistance.
The parliament also voted to hold a referendum on greater autonomy on 25 May. The troops had cut all of the building's communications, and took MPs' phones as they entered. No independent journalists were allowed inside the building while the votes were taking place. Some MPs claimed they were being threatened and that votes were cast for them and other MPs, even though they were not in the chamber. Interfax-Ukraine reported "it is impossible to find out whether all the 64 members of the 100-member legislature who were registered as present at when the two decisions were voted on or whether someone else used the plastic voting cards of some of them" because due to the armed occupation of parliament it was unclear how many MPs were present. The head of parliament's information and analysis department, Olha Sulnikova, had phoned from inside the parliamentary building to journalists and had told them 61 of the registered 64 deputies had voted for the referendum resolution and 55 for the resolution to dismiss the government. Donetsk People's Republic separatist Igor Girkin said in January 2015 that Crimean members of parliament were held at gunpoint, and were forced to support the annexation. These actions were immediately declared illegal by the Ukrainian interim government.
On the same day, more troops in unmarked uniforms, assisted this time by Crimean riot police known as Berkut, established security checkpoints on the Isthmus of Perekop and the Chonhar Peninsula, which separate Crimea from the Ukrainian mainland. 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 all Ukrainian military installations on the peninsula. He also asked Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been Yanukovych's primary international backer and guarantor, for "assistance in ensuring peace and public order" in Crimea. Putin promptly received authorisation from the Federation Council of Russia for a Russian military intervention in Ukraine "until normalization of a socio-political environment in the country". Putin's swift manoeuvre prompted protests of intelligentsia and demonstrations in Moscow against a Russian military campaign in Crimea. By 2 March, Russian troops moving from the country's naval base in Sevastopol and reinforced by troops, armour, and helicopters from mainland Russia exercised complete control over the Crimean Peninsula. Russian troops operated in Crimea without insignia. Despite numerous media reports and statements by the Ukrainian and foreign governments describing the unmarked troops as Russian soldiers, government officials concealed the identity of their forces, claiming they were local "self-defence" units over whom they had no authority. As late as 17 April, Russian foreign minister Lavrov claimed that there are no spare armed forces in the territory of Crimea.
Russian officials eventually admitted to their troops' presence. On 17 April 2014, Putin acknowledged the 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". Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu said the country's military actions in Crimea were undertaken by forces of the Black Sea Fleet and were justified by "threat to lives of Crimean civilians" and danger of "takeover of Russian military infrastructure by extremists". Ukraine complained that by increasing its troop presence in Crimea, Russia violated the agreement under which it headquartered its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol and violated the country's sovereignty. The United States and United Kingdom also accused Russia of breaking the terms of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, by which Russia, the US, and the UK had reaffirmed their obligation to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine. The Russian government said the Budapest Memorandum did not apply due to "complicated internal processes" in Crimea. In March 2015 retired Russian Admiral Igor Kasatonov stated that according to his information the Russian troop deployment in Crimea included six helicopter landings and three landings of IL-76 with 500 people.
Legal obstacles to Crimea annexation
See also: Declaration of Independence of CrimeaThe Russian–Ukrainian Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet signed in 1997 and prolonged in 2010, determined the status of the military bases and vessels in Crimea prior to the current crisis. Russia was allowed to maintain up to 25,000 troops, 24 artillery systems (with a calibre smaller than 100 mm), 132 armoured vehicles, and 22 military planes, on military base in Sevastopol and related infrastructure on the Crimean Peninsula. The Russian Black Sea fleet had basing rights in Crimea until 2042. Usage of navigation stations and troop movements were improperly covered by the treaty and were violated many times as well as related court decisions. February troop movements were in "complete disregard" of the treaty.
Both Russia and Ukraine are signatories to the Charter of the United Nations. The ratification of said charter has several ramifications in terms of international law, particularly those that cover the subjects of declarations of independence, sovereignty, self-determination, acts of aggression, and humanitarian emergencies. Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russian troops in the Crimean peninsula were aimed "to ensure proper conditions for the people of Crimea to be able to freely express their will", whilst Ukraine and other nations argue that such intervention is a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. The Russian President also noted that the United Nations International Court of Justice handed down an advisory opinion in 2010 saying unambiguously that the unilateral declaration of independence in Kosovo (for which there was no referendum nor agreement from Belgrade) was not prohibited by international law. On the other hand, United States and Ukraine point out that by annexing Crimea Russia violated terms of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, by which Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom reaffirmed their obligation to respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine (including Crimea) and to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine. The United States does not consider the Memorandum binding.
According to the Constitution of Russia, the admission of new federal subjects is governed by federal constitutional law (art. 65.2). Such a law was adopted in 2001, and it postulates that admission of a foreign state or its part into Russia shall be based on a mutual accord between the Russian Federation and the relevant state and shall take place pursuant to an international treaty between the two countries; moreover, it must be initiated by the state in question, not by its subdivision or by Russia. This law would have seemed to require that Ukraine initiate any negotiations involving a Crimean annexation by Russia.
On 28 February 2014, Russian MP Sergey Mironov, along with 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 by a subdivision of a country, provided that there is "absence of efficient sovereign state government in foreign state"; the request could be made either by subdivision bodies on their own or on the basis of a referendum held in the subdivision in accordance with corresponding national legislation. The Venice 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.
On 11 March 2014, both the Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted a declaration of independence, which stated their intent to declare independence and request full accession to Russia in case the pro-Russian answer received the most votes during the scheduled status referendum. The declaration directly referred to the Kosovo independence precedent, by which the Albanian-populated Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija declared independence from Russia'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 annexation by Russia.
Crimean authorities' stated plans to declare independence from Ukraine made the Mironov bill unnecessary. On 20 March 2014, two days after the treaty of accession was signed, the bill was withdrawn by its initiators.
Crimean status referendum
Main article: Crimean status referendum, 2014On 27 February, following the takeover of its building, the Supreme Council of Crimea voted to hold a referendum on 25 May, with the initial question as to whether Crimea should upgrade its autonomy within Ukraine. The referendum date was later moved from 25 May to 30 March. A Ukrainian court declared the referendum to be illegal.
On 4 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Russia was not considering annexing Crimea. He said of the peninsula that "only citizens themselves, in conditions of free expression of will and their security can determine their future". Putin later acknowledged that he had ordered "work to bring Crimea back into Russia" as early as February. He also acknowledged that in early March there were "secret opinion polls" held in Crimea, which, according to him, reported overwhelming popular support for Crimea's incorporation into Russia.
On 6 March, the Supreme Council moved the referendum date to 16 March and changed its scope to ask a 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 announced earlier, contained no option to maintain the status quo of governance under the 1998 constitution.
On 14 March, the Crimean status referendum was deemed unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and a day later, the Verkhovna Rada formally dissolved the Crimean parliament.
The referendum was held despite the opposition from Kiev. Official results reported about 95% of participating voters in Crimea and Sevastopol were in favour of joining Russia. The results of referendum are questioned, Another report by Evgeny Bobrov, a member of the Russian President's Human Rights Council, suggested the official results were inflated and only 15% to 30% of Crimeans actually voted for the Russian option.
The means by which the referendum was conducted were widely criticised by foreign governments and in the Ukrainian and international press, with reports that anyone holding a Russian passport regardless of residency in Crimea was allowed to vote. Russia invited a group of observers from various European far-right political parties aligned with Putin, who stated the referendum was conducted in a free and fair manner.
Breakaway republic
On 17 March, following the official announcement of the referendum results, the Supreme Council of Crimea declared the formal independence of the Republic of Crimea, comprising the territories of both the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which was granted special status within the breakaway republic. The Crimean parliament declared the "partial repeal" of Ukrainian laws and began nationalising private and Ukrainian state property located on the Crimean Peninsula, including Ukrainian ports and property of Chornomornaftogaz. Parliament also formally requested that the Russian government admit the breakaway republic into Russia. On same day, the de facto Supreme Council renamed itself the Crimean State Council, declared the Russian ruble an official currency alongside the hryvnia, and announced that Crimea would switch to Moscow Time (UTC+4) on 30 March.
Putin officially recognised the Republic of Crimea by decree and approved the admission of Crimea and Sevastopol as federal subjects of Russia.
Accession treaty and immediate aftermath
Main articles: Republic of Crimea, Crimean Federal District, and Political status of CrimeaThe Treaty on Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russia was signed between representatives of the Republic of Crimea (including Sevastopol, with which the rest of Crimea briefly unified) and the Russian Federation on 18 March 2014 to lay out terms for the immediate admission of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as federal subjects of Russia and part of the Russian Federation. It was ratified by the Federal Assembly by 21 March.
During a controversial incident in Simferopol on 18 March, some Ukrainian sources said that armed gunmen that were reported to be Russian special forces allegedly stormed the base. This was contested by Russian authorities, who subsequently arrested an alleged Ukrainian sniper in connection with the killings.
At this stage, none of the accounts of this event could be verified independently. The Ukrainian and the Crimean authorities provided conflicting reports of the event. Furthermore, witnesses of the event said that there was no immediate evidence that any Russian soldiers were involved in the incident.
The two casualties had a joint funeral attended by both the Crimean and Ukrainian authorities, and both soldiers were mourned together. The incident is now under investigation by both the Crimean authorities and the Ukrainian military.
On 19 March Putin submitted to the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, a treaty of Crimea's reunification with Russia and a constitutional amendment on setting up two new constituent territories of the Russian Federation. Russian Constitutional Court found that treaty is in compliance with Constitution of Russia. The court sat in an emergency session following a formal request by President Vladimir Putin to assess the constitutionality of the treaty.
After the Russian Constitutional Court upheld the constitutionality of the treaty, the State Duma ratified it on 20 March. The Duma also approved the draft federal constitutional law admitting Crimea and Sevastopol and establishing them as federal subjects. A Just Russia's Ilya Ponomarev was the only State Duma member to vote against the measures. A day later, the treaty itself and the required amendment to article 65 of the Russian Constitution (which lists the federal subjects of Russia) were ratified by the Federation Council and almost immediately signed into law by Putin. Crimea's admission to the Russian Federation was considered retroactive to 18 March, when Putin and Crimean leaders signed the draft treaty.
On 24 March, the Ukrainian government ordered the full withdrawal of all of its armed forces from Crimea. In addition, the Ministry of Defence announced that approximately 50% of the Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea had defected to the Russian military.
On 27 March, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution, which declared the Crimean referendum and subsequent status change invalid, by a vote of 100 to 11, with 58 abstentions and 24 absent.
Crimea and Sevastopol switched to Moscow Time at the end of March.
On 2 April, Russia formally denounced the 2010 Kharkiv Pact and Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet. Putin cited "the accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia" and resulting "practical end of renting relationships" as his reason for the denunciation. On the same day, he signed a decree formally rehabilitating the Crimean Tatars, who were ousted from their lands in 1944, and the Armenian, German, Greek, and Bulgarian minority communities 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 were adopted, and on same day, the new federal subjects were enumerated in a newly published revision of the Russian Constitution.
Federal Law on Ratifying the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on Admitting to the Russian Federation the Republic of Crimea and Establishing within the Russian Federation New Constituent Entities.Federal Constitutional Law on Admitting to the Russian Federation the Republic of Crimea and Establishing within the Russian Federation the New Constituent Entities of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Federal Importance Sevastopol.Transition and aftermath
The number of tourists visiting Crimea in the 2014 season was lower than in the previous years due to worries about the political situation. The Crimean government members hope that Russian tourists will flow in. The Russian government is planning to promote Crimea as a resort and provide subsidised holidays to the peninsula for children and state workers.
The Sofia news agency Novinite claims that according to the German newspaper Die Welt, the annexation of Crimea is economically disadvantageous for the Russian Federation. Russia will have to spend billions of euros a year to pay salaries and pensions. Moreover, Russia will have to undertake costly projects to connect Crimea to the Russian water supply and power system because Crimea has no land connection to Russia and at present gets water, gas and electricity from mainland Ukraine. This will require building a bridge and a pipeline across the Kerch Strait. Also, Novinite claims that a Ukrainian expert told Die Welt that Crimea "will not be able to attract tourists".
The first Deputy to Minister of Finance of Russian Federation Tatyana Nesterenko said in her interview to Forbes Woman that decision to annexe Crimea was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin exclusively without consulting Russia's Finance Ministry.
The Russian business newspaper Kommersant expresses an opinion that 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 is only $4 billion. The newspaper also says that everything from Russia will have to be delivered by sea, higher costs of transportation will result in higher prices for everything, and to avoid a decline in living standards Russia will have to subsidise Crimean people for a few months. In total, Kommersant estimates the costs of integrating Crimea into Russia in $30 billion over the next decade, i.e. $3 billion per year.
On the other hand, western oil experts estimate that Russia's seizing of Crimea, and the associated control of an area of Black Sea more than three times its land area gives it access to oil and gas reserves potentially worth trillions of dollars. It also deprives Ukraine of its chances of energy independence. Most immediately however, analysts say, Moscow's acquisition may alter the route along which the South Stream pipeline would be built, saving Russia money, time and engineering challenges. It would also allow Russia to avoid building in Turkish territorial waters, which was necessary in the original route to avoid Ukrainian territory.
Russian/Chechen businessman Ruslan Baisarov announced he is ready to invest 12 billion rubles into the construction of a modern sea resort in Crimea, which is expected to create about 1,300 jobs. Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of Chechnya, said that other Chechen businessmen are planning to invest into Crimea as well.
The Russian Federal Service for Communications (Roskomnadzor) warned about a transition period as Russian operators have to change the numbering capacity and subscribers. Country code will be replaced from the Ukrainian +380 to Russian +7. Codes in Crimea start with 65, but in the area of "7" the 6 is given to Kazakhstan which shares former Soviet Union +7 with Russia, so city codes have to change. The regulator assigned 869 dialling code to Sevastopol and the rest of the peninsula received a 365 code. At the time of the unification with Russia, telephone operators and Internet service providers in Crimea and Sevastopol are connected to the outside world through the territory of Ukraine. Minister of Communications of Russia, Nikolai Nikiforov announced on his Twitter account that postal codes in Crimea will now have six-figures: to the existing five-digit number the number two will be added at the beginning. For example, the Simferopol postal code 95000 will become 295000.
Regarding Crimea's borders, the head of Russian Federal Agency for the Development of the State Border Facilities (Rosgranitsa) Konstantin Busygin, who was speaking at a meeting led by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea said the Russian state border in the north of Crimea which, according to his claims, now forms part of the Russian-Ukrainian border, will be fully equipped with necessary facilities. In the area that now forms the border between 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. On early June that year Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a Government resolution №961 dated 5 June 2014 establishing air, sea, road and railway checkpoints. The adopted decisions create a legal basis for the functioning of a checkpoint system at the Russian state border in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
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.
Human rights situation
In March 2014, Human Rights Watch reported that pro-Ukrainian activists and journalists had been attacked, abducted, and tortured.
On 9 May 2014 the new "anti-extremist" amendment to the Criminal Code of Russia, passed in December 2013, came into force. Article 280.1 designated incitement of violation of territorial integrity of the Russian Federation (incl. calls for secession of Crimea from Russia) as a criminal offence in Russia, punishable by a fine of 300 thousand roubles or imprisonment up to 3 years. If such statements are made in public media or the internet, the punishment could be obligatory works up to 480 hours or imprisonment up to five years.
Following the annexation of Crimea, according to report released on the Russian government run President of Russia's Council on Civil Society and Human Rights website, Tatars who were opposed to Russian rule have been persecuted, Russian law restricting freedom of speech has been imposed, and the new pro-Russian authorities "liquidated" the Kiev Patriarchate Orthodox church on the peninsula.
After the annexation, on 16 May the new Russian authorities of Crimea issued a ban on the annual commemorations of the anniversary of the Deportation of the Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944, citing "possibility of provocation by extremists" as a reason. Previously, when Crimea was controlled by Ukraine, these commemorations had taken place every year.The pro-Russian Crimean authorities also banned Mustafa Jemilev, a human rights activist, Soviet dissident, member of the Ukrainian parliament, and former Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars from entering Crimea. Additionally, Mejlis reported, that officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) raided Tatar homes in the same week, on the pretense of "suspicion of terrorist activity". The Tatar community eventually did hold commemorative rallies in defiance of the ban. In response Russian authorities flew helicopters over the rallies in an attempt to disrupt them.
In May 2015, a local activist, Alexander Kostenko, was sentenced to four years in a penal colony. His lawyer, Dmitry Sotnikov, said that the case was fabricated and that his client had been beaten and starved. Crimean prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya announced that they were judging "not just , but the very idea of fascism and nazism, which are trying to raise their head once again." Sotnikov responded that "There are fabricated cases in Russia, but rarely such humiliation and physical harm. A living person is being tortured for a political idea, to be able to boast winning over fascism." In June 2015, Razom released a report compiling human rights abuses in Crimea.
Crimean public opinion
A joint survey by American government agency Broadcasting Board of Governors and polling firm Gallup was taken during April 2014. It polled 500 residents of Crimea. The survey found that 82.8% of those polled believed that the results of the Crimean status referendum reflected the views of most Crimeans, whereas 6.7% said that it did not. 73.9% of those polled said that they thought that the annexation would have a positive impact on their lives, whereas 5.5% said that it would not. 13.6% said that they did not know.
A comprehensive poll released on 8 May 2014 by the Pew Research Centre surveyed Crimean opinions on the annexation. 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 Ukrainian government should recognise the results.
Ukrainian response
See also: Do not buy Russian goods!On 6 March, Ukraine's acting President, Oleksander Turchinov, stated that "The authorities in Crimea are totally illegitimate, both the parliament and the government. They are forced to work under the barrel of a gun and all their decisions are dictated by fear and are illegal." Immediately after the treaty of accession was signed in March, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Provisional Principal of Russia in Ukraine to present note verbale of protest against Russia's recognition of the Republic of Crimea and its subsequent annexation. Two days later, the Verkhovna Rada condemned the treaty and called Russia's actions "a gross violation of international law". The Rada called on the international community to avoid recognition of the "so-called Republic of Crimea" or the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia as new federal subjects.
On 15 April 2014, the Verkhovna Rada declared the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to be under "provisional occupation" by the Russian military and imposed travel restrictions on Ukrainians visiting Crimea. The territories were also deemed "inalienable parts of Ukraine" subject to 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. The law also forbade activity of government bodies formed in violation of Ukrainian law and designated their acts as null and void. The voting rights of Crimea in national Ukrainian elections were also suspended. The law had little to no actual effect in Crimea itself due to the mutual non-recognition between Kiev and Simferopol.
Ukrainian authorities greatly reduced the volume of water flowing into Crimea via the North Crimean Canal, threatening the viability of the peninsula's agricultural crops, which are heavily dependent on irrigation.
The Ukrainian National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting instructed all cable operators on March 11 to stop transmitting a number of Russian channels, including the international versions of the main state-controlled stations Rossiya-1, Channel One and NTV, as well as news channel Rossiya-24.
In March 2014, activists began organising flash mobs in supermarkets to urge customers not to buy Russian goods and to boycott Russian gas stations, banks, and concerts. In April 2014, some cinemas in Kiev, Lviv, and Odessa began shunning Russian films.
In December 2014, Ukraine halted all train and bus services to Crimea.
Russian response
See also: 2014 anti-war protests in RussiaIn a poll published on 24 February by the state-owned Russian Public Opinion Research Center, only 15% of those Russians polled said 'yes' to the question: "Should Russia react to the overthrow of the legally elected authorities in Ukraine?"
The State Duma Committee on Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, headed by Leonid Slutsky, visited Simferopol on 25 February 2014 and said: "If the parliament of the Crimean autonomy or its residents express the wish to join the Russian Federation, Russia will be prepared to consider this sort of application. We will be examining the situation and doing so fast." They also stated that in the event of a referendum for Crimea region joining Russian Federation they would consider its results "very fast". Later Slutsky announced that he was misunderstood by Crimean press and no decision regarding simplifying the process of acquiring Russian citizenship for people in Crimea has been made yet. And added that if "fellow Russian citizens are in jeopardy you understand that we do not stay away". On 25 February, in a meeting with Crimean politicians he stated that Viktor Yanukovych was still the legitimate president of Ukraine. That same day in the Russian Duma, they announced they were determining measures so that Russians in Ukraine who "did not want to break from the Russian World" could acquire Russian citizenship.
On 26 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Armed Forces to be "put on alert in the Western Military District as well as units stationed with the 2nd Army Central Military District Command involved in aerospace defence, airborne troops and long-range military transport." Despite media speculation it was for in reaction to the events in Ukraine Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said it was in separate consideration from the unrest in Ukraine. On 27 February 2014, the Russian government dismissed accusations about violation by the Russian side of the basic agreements in regards of the Black Sea Fleet: "All movements of armored vehicles are undertaken in full compliance with the basic agreements and did not require any approvals".
On 27 February, the Russian governing agencies presented the new law project on granting citizenship.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the West and particularly NATO to "abandon the provocative statements and respect the neutral status of Ukraine". In its statement the ministry claims that agreement on settlement of the crisis which was signed on 21 February and was witnessed by foreign ministries from Germany, Poland and France has to this date, not been implemented (Vladimir Lukin from Russia had not signed it).
On 28 February, according to ITAR-TASS, the Russian Ministry of Transport discontinued its further talks with Ukraine in regards to the Kerch Strait Bridge project. However, on 3 March Dmitry Medvedev, 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.
On Russian social networks there is a movement to gather volunteers who served in the Russian army to go to Ukraine.
On 28 February President Putin stated it was of "extreme importance of not allowing a further escalation of violence and the necessity of a rapid normalisation of the situation in Ukraine" in telephone calls with key EU leaders. Already on 19 February the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to the Euromaidan revolution as the "Brown revolution".
The Federation Council approved that Russia may introduce a limited contingent of Russian troops in Crimea for the security of the Black Sea Fleet and the Russians.
In Moscow, on 2 March, an estimated 27,000 rallied in support of the Russian government's decision to intervene in Ukraine. The rallies received considerable attention on Russian state TV and were officially sanctioned by the government.
Meanwhile, on 1 March, five people who were picketing next to the Federation Council building against the invasion of Ukraine were arrested. The next day about 200 people protested at the building of the Russian Ministry of Defence in Moscow against Russian military involvement. About 500 people also gathered to protest on the Manezhnaya Square in Moscow and the same number of people on the Saint Isaac's Square in Saint Petersburg. On 2 March, about eleven protesters demonstrated in Yekaterinburg against Russian involvement, with some wrapped in the Ukrainian flag. Protests were also held in Chelyabinsk on the same day. The opposition to the military intervention was also expressed by rock musician Andrey Makarevich, who wrote in particular: "You want war with Ukraine? It will not be the way it was with Abkhazia: the folks on the Maidan have been hardened and know what they are fighting for – for their country, their independence. We have to live with them. Still neighborly. And preferably in friendship. But it's up to them how they want to live". The Professor of the Department of Philosophy at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations Andrey Zubov was fired for his article in Vedomosti, criticising Russian military intervention.
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 woman offered them fabricating a serious charge (beating up a child) against him; however, the proposal was rejected by the police. Andrei Zubov, a professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, 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 Russian intervention in Ukraine. Boris Akunin, popular Russian writer, predicted that Russia's moves would lead to political and economic isolation.
President Putin's approval rating among the Russian public has increased by nearly 10% since the crisis began, up to 71.6%, the highest in three years, according to a poll conducted by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion Research, released on 19 March. Additionally, the same poll showed that more than 90% of Russians supported unification with the Crimean Republic.
On 4 March, at press conference in Novo-Ogaryovo President Putin expressed his view on the situation that if a revolution took place in Ukraine, it is a new country with which Russia did not conclude any treaties. He brought up an analogy with events of 1917 in Russia, when as a result of the revolution the Russian Empire fell apart and a new state was created. However, he stated Ukraine would still have to honour its debts.
Russian politicians have speculated that there are already 143,000 Ukrainian refugees in Russia. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted those claims of refugees increase in Russia. At a briefing on 4 March 2014, the director of department of information policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebiynis claimed that Russia was misinforming its own citizens as well as the entire international community to justify its own actions in the Crimea.
On 5 March, an anchor of the Russian-owned international news channel RT America, Abby Martin, in an interview with Piers Morgan, said she "did not agree" with how her employer RT was covering the Ukrainian crisis, but claims RT still supports her despite her differences of opinion. Also on 5 March 2014, another RT America anchor, Liz Wahl, of the network's Washington, DC bureau, resigned on air, explaining that she could not be "part of a network that whitewashes the actions of Putin" and citing her Hungarian ancestry and the memory of the Soviet repression of the Hungarian Uprising as a factor in her decision.
In early March, Igor Andreyev, a 75-year-old survivor of the Siege of Leningrad, attended an anti-war rally 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.
Prominent dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky said that Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broader autonomy.
Tatarstan, a republic within Russia populated by Volga Tatars, has sought to alleviate concerns about treatment of Tatars by Russia, as Tatarstan is a gas-rich and economically successful republic in Russia. On 5 March, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov signed an agreement on co-operation between Tatarstan and the Aksyonov government in Crimea that implied collaboration between ten government institutions as well as significant financial aid to Crimea from Tatarstan businesses. On 11 March, Minnikhanov was in Crimea on his second visit and attended as a guest present in the Crimean parliament chamber during the vote on the declaration of sovereignty pending the 16 March referendum. The Tatarstan's Mufti Kamil Samigullin invited Crimean Tatars to study in madrasas in Kazan and declared support for their "brothers in faith and blood". Mustafa Dzhemilev, a former leader of the Crimean Tatar Majlis believes that forces that are suspected to be Russian forces should leave the Crimean peninsula, and has asked the UN Security Council to send peacekeepers into the region.
On 13 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a comparison between Crimea and Kosovo in a phone call with US President Barack Obama.
On 15 March, thousands of protesters (estimates varying from 3,000 by official sources up to 50,000 claimed by opposition) in Moscow marched against Russian involvement in Ukraine, many waving Ukrainian flags. At the same time a pro government (and pro-referendum) rally, occurred across the street, 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 that it obtained documents, allegedly written by oligarch Konstantin Malofayev and others, which provided the Russian government with a strategy in the event of Viktor Yanukovych's removal from power and the break-up of Ukraine, which were considered likely. The documents outline plans for annexation of Crimea and the eastern portions of the country, closely describing the events that actually followed after Yanukovych's fall. The documents also describe plans for a public relations campaign which would seek to justify Russian actions.
In June 2015 Mikhail Kasyanov stated that all Russian Duma decisions on Crimea annexation were illegal from the international point of view and the annexation was provoked by false accusations of discrimination of Russian nationals in Ukraine.
International response
Further information: Political status of Crimea and United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 Main article: International reactions to the 2014 Crimean crisisThere have been a range of international reactions to the annexation. The UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution 100 in favour, 11 against and 58 abstentions in the 193-nation assembly that declared invalid Crimea's Moscow-backed referendum. In a move supported by the Lithuanian President, the United States government imposed sanctions against persons they deem to have violated or assisted in the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty. The European Union suspended talks with Russia on economic and visa-related matters, and is considering more stringent sanctions against Russia in the near future, including asset freezes. while Japan announced sanctions which include suspension of talks relating to military, space, investment, and visa requirements. The EU Commission decided on 11 March to enter into a full free-trade agreement with Ukraine within the year. On 12 March, the European Parliament rejected the upcoming referendum on independence in Crimea, which they saw as manipulated and contrary to international and Ukrainian law. The G7 bloc of developed nations (the G8 minus Russia) made a joint statement condemning Russia and announced that they would suspend preparations for the planned G8 summit in Sochi in June. NATO condemned Russia's military escalation in Crimea and stated that it was breach of international law while the Council of Europe expressed its full support for the territorial integrity and national unity of Ukraine. The Visegrád Group has issued a joint statement urging Russia to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and for Ukraine to take into account its minority groups to not further break fragile relations. It has urged for Russia to respect Ukrainian and international law and in line with the provisions of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
China said "We respect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine". A spokesman restated China's belief of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations and urged dialogue.
National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon of India stated that Russia has legitimate interests in Crimea and called for "sustained diplomatic efforts" and "constructive dialogue" to resolve the crisis. However, the National Security Advisor is not a part of the Cabinet of India and, as such, Menon's statement was not an official statement issued by the government of India. However, India subsequently 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 support any unilateral measures by a country or a group of countries against Russia." Both Syria and Venezuela openly support Russian military action. Syrian President Bashar al Assad said that he supports Putin's efforts to "restore security and stability in the friendly country of Ukraine", while Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned Ukraine's "ultra-nationalist" coup. Sri Lanka described Yanukovych's removal as unconstitutional and considered Russia's concerns in Crimea as justified.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for change in EU energy policy as Germany's dependence on Russian gas poses risks for Europe.
On 13 March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the Russian government it risks massive damage to Russia, economically and politically, if it refuses to change course on Ukraine, though close economic links between Germany and Russia significantly reduce the scope for any sanctions.
After Russia moved to formally incorporate Crimea, some worried whether it may not do the same in other regions. US deputy national security advisor Tony Blinken said that the Russian troops massed on the eastern Ukrainian border may be preparing to enter the country's eastern regions. Russian officials stated that Russian troops would not enter other areas. US Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe, warned that the same troops were in a position to take over the separatist Russian-speaking Moldovan province of Transnistria.
On 9 April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe deprived Russia of voting rights.
On 14 August, while visiting Crimea, Vladimir Putin ruled out pushing beyond Crimea. He undertook to do everything he could to end the conflict in Ukraine, saying Russia needed to build calmly and with dignity, not by confrontation and war which isolated it from the rest of the world.
United Nations resolutions
UN Security Council vote on a draft resolution condemning the 2014 Crimean referendum. Voted in favour of the resolution Abstained Vetoed the resolutionUN General Assembly vote on the resolution condemning the 2014 Crimean referendum. In favour of considering the referendum illegal Against adopting the resolution Abstained Absent when the vote took placeSecurity Council resolution
On 15 March 2014, a US-sponsored resolution was put forward to vote in the UN Security Council to reaffirm council's commitment to Ukraine's "sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity." A total of 13 council members voted in favour of the resolution, China abstained, while Russia vetoed the U.N. resolution declaring Crimean referendum, 2014, on the future of Crimean Peninsula, as illegal.
General Assembly resolution
On 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution describing the referendum leading to annexation of Crimea by Russia as illegal. The draft resolution, which was titled "Territorial integrity of Ukraine", was co-sponsored by Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and the US. It affirmed the council's commitment to the "sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders." The resolution tried to underscore that the 16 March referendum held in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol has no validity and cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or of the city of Sevastopol. The resolution got 100 votes in its favour, while 11 nations voted against and 58 countries abstained from the vote. The resolution was non-binding and the vote was largely symbolic.
Recognition
The vast majority of the international community has not recognised the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as part of Russia. Most nations in North America, Central America, Europe, Oceania, and Africa, as well as Asia outside of the former Soviet republics, have openly rejected the referendum and the 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 Resolution 68/262 (supporting the position that Crimea and Sevastopol remain part of Ukraine) was 100 to 11 in favour, with 58 states abstaining and a further 24 of the 193 member states not voting through being absent when the vote took place. The 100 states voting in favour represented about 34% of the world's population, the 11 against represented about 4.5%, the 58 abstentions represented about 58%, and the 24 absents represented about 3.5%.
Several members of the United Nations have made statements about their recognition of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as federal subjects of Russia:
2The position of Belarus is vague: it includes statements made by Alexander Lukashenko that "Ukraine should remain an integral, indivisible, non-aligned state" and "As for Crimea, I do not like it when the integrity and independence of a country are broken", on the one hand, and "Today Crimea is part of the Russian Federation. No matter whether you recognize it or not, the fact remains." and "Whether Crimea will be recognized as a region of the Russian Federation de-jure does not really matter", on the other hand.
Three non-UN member states recognised the results of the referendum: Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh. A fourth, Transnistria, sent a request on 18 March 2014 to join the Russian Federation following the Crimean example and in compliance with the Admission Law provisions. On 16 April 2014 Transnistria urged Russia and the United Nations to recognise its independence. Putin is aware of Transnistria's recognition request, according to Dmitry Peskov.
Commentary
Russian opposition activist and chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov, former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Ukrainian MP Lesya Orobets (Batkivshchyna), former foreign minister of the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg, as well as the Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada John Baird all compared Russia's actions and Putin's words to Nazi Germany's policy before the start of World War II, after the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier all stated that such comparisons are unacceptable. However Chancellor Merkel also said "The so-called referendum…, the declaration of independence …, and the absorption into the Russian Federation (were), in our firm opinion,…against international law" and that it was "shameful" for Russia to compare the independence of Kosovo with the referendum on the Russian annexation of Crimea. In March, 2015, after talks with Petro Poroshenko, Angela Merkel remarked that the annexation was in violation of international law, and therefore it's Germany's goal to restore the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.
British prime minister David Cameron said "No amount of sham and perverse democratic process or skewed historical references can make up for the fact that this is an incursion into a sovereign state and a land grab of part of its territory with no respect for the law of that country or for international law."
American president Barack Obama commented, "the Crimean 'referendum,' which violates the Ukrainian constitution and occurred under duress of Russian military intervention, would never be recognized by the United States and the international community."
The European Council and the European Commission made the joint statement "The European Union does neither recognise the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea nor its outcome."
Former West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt called Russia's actions "perfectly understandable", and considers sanctions being imposed by the US and EU "foolish".
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 the 1968 Russian military invasion." Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves stated that the annexation was "done too quickly and professionally not to have been planned far in advance" and said that the failure of the Budapest Memorandum "may have far-reaching implications for generations. I don't know what country in the future would ever give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for a security guarantee."
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has defended the referendum that led to Crimea's annexation by Russia: "While Crimea had previously been joined to Ukraine based on the Soviet laws, which means party laws, without asking the people, now the people themselves have decided to correct that mistake."
Sanctions
Further information: International sanctions during the Ukrainian crisis and List of individuals sanctioned during the Ukrainian crisisSanctions 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 the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
Japan announced milder sanctions than the US and EU. These include suspension of talks relating to military, space, investment, and visa requirements.
In response to the sanctions introduced by the US and EU, the Russian Duma unanimously passed a resolution asking for all members of the Duma to be included on the sanctions list. Head of the opposition 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 on Crimea." Russian companies started pulling billions of dollars out of Western banks to avoid any asset freeze.
Three days after the lists were published, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a reciprocal sanctions list of US citizens, which consisted of 10 names, including House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, Senator John McCain, and two advisers to President Obama. The ministry said in the statement, "Treating our country in such way, as Washington could have already ascertained, is inappropriate and counterproductive," and reiterated that sanctions against Russia would have a boomerang effect. Several of those sanctioned responded with pride at their inclusion on the list, including John Boehner, John McCain, Bob Menendez, Dan Coats, Mary Landrieu, and Harry Reid.
On 24 March, Russia has imposed retaliatory sanctions on 13 Canadian officials including members of the Parliament of Canada, banning them from entering Russia. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, said the sanctions were "a badge of honour." Former Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler also said that he considered the sanctions a badge of honour, not a mark of exclusion.
In March 2014, The Christian Science Monitor reported, "The good news is that so far, Russia has shown no inclination to use the NDN as leverage in the wake of US retaliation for its troop movements in Crimea."
Expanded Western sanctions in mid-March coursed through financial markets, hitting the business interests of some Russia's richest people. The Americans' centred on the heart of Moscow's leadership, though the EU's initial list shied from targeting Putin's inner circle. As ratings agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor's downgraded Russia's credit outlook, Russian banks warned of a sanctions-induced recession, the country braced for capital outflows for the first three months of 2014 to reach $70 billion, more than the entirety of outflows for 2013, and Russian government-bond issues plummeted by three-quarters compared with the same period the previous year. Novatek, Russia's second-largest gas producer, saw $2.5bn in market value wiped out when its shares sank by nearly 10%, rendering Putin's close friend Gennady Timchenko, who has a 23% stake in the company, $575m poorer. "I do hope that there is some serious diplomatic activity going on behind the scenes," said one Russian banker, though others were more sanguine on the question of whether the sanctions would have any enduring effect, and Russians, top and bottom, seemed defiant. The official Russian response was mixed.
Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Alexey Ulyukaev said what introduction of sectoral sanctions will lead to a serious decline of the Russian economy: economic growth of Russia will 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.
As well as differences between the United States and Europe as a whole as to how to respond to the Russian-backed incursion, those same differences have played out among Eastern European countries.
A number of Russian citizens reported that they have been denied European visas after they visited Crimea after annexation. A Russian consumer protection watchdog OZPP published a warning for Russian tourists about this risk, explaining that from the international law point of view Crimea is an occupied territory, after which Roskomnadzor blocked the OZPP website "for threatenting territorial integrity of Russian federation".
Mapping
- As of March 2015 the United Nations still maps Crimea as belonging to Ukraine.
- National Geographic Society stated that their policy is "to portray current reality" and "Crimea, if it is formally annexed by Russia, would be shaded gray", but also further remarked that this step does not suggest recognising legitimacy of such. As of April 2014 Crimea is still displayed as part of Ukraine.
- As of April 2014, Google Maps displays Crimea as a disputed territory to most viewers. For the Russian and Ukrainian versions of website, Crimea is marked as belonging to corresponding country (Russia or Ukraine respectively). Google stated that it "work with sources to get the best interpretation of the border or claim lines".
- As of April 2014, Yandex displays Crimea according to official position of user's country. Users visiting Yandex.ru from Russia will see Crimea displayed as Russian territory, users visiting yandex.ua from Ukraine will see Crimea as Ukrainian and all other users (from other countries) will see Crimea as Russian territory. According to official statement, the company works with users from different countries and "displays reality that surrounds them".
- As of March 2014, Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap and HERE display Crimea as belonging to Ukraine. In particular, Open Street Map requested its users to refrain from editing borders and administrative relations of subdivisions located in Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol until 31 May 2014. On 5 June 2014 OpenStreetMap switched to a territorial dispute option, displaying Crimea as a disputed territory belonging to both countries.
- As of March 2014, Mail.Ru maps display Crimea as part of Russia
Economic impact
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to itadding to it or making an edit request. (June 2015) |
While initially (right after the annexation), salaries rose, especially those of government workers, this was soon offset by the increase in prices caused by the depreciation of the ruble. Subsequently, after Russian authority became established, wages were cut back again by 30% to 70%. Tourism, previously Crimea's main industry, suffered in particular; it was down by 50% from 2014. Crimean agricultural yields were also significantly impacted by the annexation. Ukraine cut off supplies of water through the North Crimean Canal, causing the 2014 rice crop to fail, and greatly damaging the maize and soybean crops.
See also
Notes
Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Misplaced Pages's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- 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 consider its recent troop movements to be an invasion, U.S. officials said."
- 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 sources see the image description.
- It also noted that "certain politicians, local government officials, leaders of civil society organizations, and radically inclined individuals have attempted to create grounds for escalating the civil conflict, and have spread autonomous and separatist attitudes among the people, which could lead to the demise of our as a united nation and loss of its national sovereignty." In addition, the statement said that certain lawmakers of every level have begun separatist negotiations with representatives of foreign nations. "Open consultations are being held on the possible division of the country into separate parts in violation of the Ukrainian constitution," read the statement. "This could lead to an escalation of conflict between different sectors of society, inciting ethnic or religious hatred and military conflict."
References
- "Is Crimea gone? Annexation no longer the focus of Ukraine crisis". CNN. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ Weaver, Courtney (15 March 2015). "Putin was ready to put nuclear weapons on alert in Crimea crisis". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Avakov named seizure of airports in Crimea armed invasion and occupation, 28 February 2014
{{citation}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - "Ukrainian soldiers on border with Crimea pray for peace, prepare for war". Kyiv Post. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Besieged Ukrainian soldiers DEFECT to Russia as Kiev prepares to pull 25,000 troops and their families out of Crimea". Georgia Newsday. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Bridget Kendall (2 March 2014). "New head of Ukraine's navy defects in Crimea". BBC. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Russia Stages a Coup in Crimea". The Daily Beast. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- Gumuchian, Marie-Louise; Smith-Spark, Laura; Formanek, Ingrid (27 February 2014). "Gunmen seize government buildings in Ukraine's Crimea, raise Russian flag". CNN. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- "Ukraine crisis: Crimea MPs vote to join Russia". BBC News. 6 March 2014.
- "Putin signs treaty to add Crimea to map of Russia". The Concord Monitor. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "Ukraine 'preparing withdrawal of troops from Crimea'". BBC News. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "Russian Citizen Elected Sevastopol Mayor Amid Pro-Moscow Protests in Crimea". The Moscow Times. 25 February 2014.
- ^ "Ukraine leader Turchynov warns of 'danger of separatism'". Euronews. 25 February 2014.
- "Russian flags flood Crimean capital as thousands back takeover by Russia". The Straits Times. 9 March 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- "Pro-Russian rally in Crimea decries Kiev 'bandits'". The Washington Post. 25 February 2014.
- Pollard, Ruth (13 March 2014). "Russia closing door on Crimea as troops build up". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- "Ukraine troops leave Crimea by busload: Defense minister resigns after Russia seizes peninsula". CBS News. CBS Interactive, Inc. 25 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- "Crimean Tatars, pro-Russia supporters approach Crimean parliament building". UA. Interfax. 20 October 2012.
- "Russia puts military on high alert as Crimea protests leave one man dead". The Guardian. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- Ewen MacAskill, defence correspondent (28 February 2014). "Ukraine military still a formidable force despite being dwarfed by neighbour". The Guardian.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help) - "Putin Talks Tough But Cools Tensions Over Ukraine". NPR. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- Faiola, Anthony (17 March 2014). "Ukraine mobilizes reservists but relies on diplomacy". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- Heather Saul; Kim Sengupta (19 March 2014). "Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russian troops storm naval base as Clinton warns of 'aggression' from Putin". The Independent. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Russian marine kills Ukraine navy officer in Crimea, says ministry". Reuters. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- Aleksander Vasovic; Gabriela Baczynska (24 March 2014). "Ukraine military to pull out from Crimea". The Sudbury Star. Reuters. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- "Two die in rallies outside Crimean parliament, says ex-head of Mejlis". Kyiv Post. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- JC Finley (27 February 2014). "Unrest in Crimea leaves 2 dead; government buildings seized". United Press International. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- Погибший крымский татарин шел в военкомат, захваченный "дружинниками" [The deceased was a Crimean Tatar on his way to enlist when he was captured "vigilantes"] (in Russian). LB.ua. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Зверски убитого крымского татарина звали Решат Аметов. Трое малолетних детей осиротели. [Brutally murdered Crimean Tatar's name was Reşat Ametov. Three toddlers left orphaned.] (in Russian). censor.net.ua. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- "Putin signs laws on reunification of Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia". ITAR TASS. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ^ "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin". kremlin.ru. 17 April 2014.
- "Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club". kremlin.ru. 24 October 2014.
I will be frank; we used our Armed Forces to block Ukrainian units stationed in Crimea, but not to force anyone to take part in the elections
- "Putin describes secret operation to seize Crimea". Yahoo News. 8 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Simon Shuster (10 March 2014). "Putin's Man in Crimea Is Ukraine's Worst Nightmare". Time. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
Before dawn on Feb. 27, at least two dozen heavily armed men stormed the Crimean parliament building and the nearby headquarters of the regional government, bringing with them a cache of assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. A few hours later, Aksyonov walked into the parliament and, after a brief round of talks with the gunmen, began to gather a quorum of the chamber's lawmakers.
- Alissa de Carbonnel (13 March 2014). "How the separatists delivered Crimea to Moscow". Reuters. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
Only a week after gunmen planted the Russian flag on the local parliament, Aksyonov and his allies held another vote and declared parliament was appealing to Putin to annex Crimea
- ^ Ilya Somin (6 May 2014). "Russian government agency reveals fraudulent nature of the Crimean referendum results". The Washington Post.
- ^ Про дострокове припинення повноважень Верховної Ради Автономної Республіки Крим [On the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea]. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 15 March 2014.
- Fred Dews (19 March 2014). "NATO Secretary-General: Russia's Annexation of Crimea Is Illegal and Illegitimate". Brookings. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- Bruno Waterfield; Peter Dominiczak; David Blair; The Daily Telegraph (24 March 2014). "Russia Temporarily Kicked Out of G8 Club of Rich Countries". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- Лавров назвал оскорбительными заявления Запада об аннексии Крыма [Lavrov called Western declarations about the annexation of Crimea as being offensive]. vz.ru (in Russian). 21 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- Mike Collett-White; Ronald Popeski (16 March 2014). "Crimeans vote over 90 percent to quit Ukraine for Russia". Reuters. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- Oleksandr Turchynov (20 March 2014). Декларація "Про боротьбу за звільнення України" [Declaration "On the struggle for the liberation of Ukraine"] (in Ukrainian). Parliament of Ukraine. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- "UN General Assembly adopts resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity". China Central Television. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- "United Nations A/RES/68/262 General Assembly" (PDF). United Nations. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- Ibid., para. 5
- Ibid., para. 6.
- See, for example, A. V. Fedorov (1997). "3.2: Правовой статус Севастополя в составе РСФСР" [3.2: The legal status of Sevastopol as part of RSFSR]. sevkrimrus.narod.ru (in Russian). Moscow: Moscow State University.
- Севастополь: вчера и сегодня в документах [Sevastopol: yesterday and today in documents]. Обозреватель - Observer (in Russian). observer.materik.ru. 1993.
- Igor Losev (19 September 2008). "Сверхнаглость" сработает? Севастополь: псевдоюридические аргументы Ю.М.Лужкова. day.kiev.ua (in Russian).
- Декларация Верховного Совета СССР "О признании незаконными и преступными репрессивных актов против народов, подвергшихся насильственному переселению, и обеспечении их прав" (in Russian). 1989.
- "The Crimean Tatars began repatriating on a massive scale beginning in the late 1980s and continuing into the early 1990s. The population of Crimean Tatars in Crimea rapidly reached 250,000 and leveled off at 270,000 where it remains as of this writing . There are believed to be between 30,000 and 100,000 remaining in places of former exile in Central Asia." Greta Lynn Uehling, The Crimean Tatars (Encyclopedia of the Minorities, Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn) iccrimea.org
- ДЕКЛАРАЦИЯ О ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОМ И ПРАВОВОМ СТАТУСЕ КРЫМА (in Russian). 1990.
- "Про внесення змін і доповнень до Конституції... від 19.06.1991 № 1213а-XII" (in Ukrainian). 19 June 1991.
- Parliament of Ukraine (17 November 1994). Декларация о государственном суверенитете Крыма (in Russian). Government of Ukraine. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- Parliament of Ukraine (20 October 1999). О Республике Крым как официальном названии демократического государства Крым (in Russian). Government of Ukraine. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- Gamov, Alexander (12 March 2014). "Руслан Хасбулатов – "КП": Передайте Обаме – Крым и Севастополь могли войти в Россию ещё 20 лет назад! // KP.RU". kp.ru (in Russian).
- ^ Alexandr Polunov (December 2009). Общественные организации русского Крыма: политическая деятельность, стратегии взаимоотношений с властью [Russian public organizations of Crimea: political activities and strategic relations with the authorities] (PDF). No 21 (in Russian). Public administration. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Про внесення змін і доповнень до Конституції (Основного Закону) України. Верховна Рада України; Закон від 21.09.1994 № 171/94-ВР Template:Uk icon
- Про скасування Конституції і деяких законів Автономної Республіки Крим Верховна Рада України; Закон від 17 March 1995 № 92/95-ВР (in Ukrainian). 18 March 1995.
- Pifer, Steven (July 2009). "Crisis Between Ukraine and Russia" (PDF). Center for Preventive Action of the Council on Foreign Affairs.
- Shuster, Simon. "A Failed Russia 'Reset' Haunts Obama in Europe". Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- Крымский парламент решил ещё раз поддержать Азарова и заклеймить оппозицию – Европейская правда, 27 ноября 2013
- Решение ВР АРК от 27 November 2013 № 1477-6/13 "О политической ситуации". rada.crimea.ua (in Russian). 27 November 2013.
- Заявление ВР АРК от 22 January 2014 № 29-6/14-ВР "О политической ситуации". rada.crimea.ua (in Russian). 22 January 2014.
- Защитить статус и полномочия Крыма! (in Russian). Supreme Council of Crimea. 4 February 2014.
- "Крымские татары готовы дать отпор попыткам отторжения автономии от Украины – Чубаров". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- "Archrival Is Freed as Ukraine Leader Flees". The New York Times. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
- John Feffer (14 March 2014). "Who Are These 'People,' Anyway?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- "Rada removes Yanukovych from office, schedules new elections for May 25". Interfax-Ukraine. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- Sindelar, Daisy (23 February 2014). "Was Yanukovych's Ouster Constitutional?". Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty (Rferl.org). Retrieved 25 February 2014.
- "Lavrov: If West accepts coup-appointed Kiev govt, it must accept a Russian Crimea — RT News". Russia: RT. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- "Ukraine MPs appoint interim president as Yanukovych allies dismissed – 23 February as it happened". The Guardian. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Template:Ru icon Casting SBU. Who are Malikov, Ostafiychuk and Frolov, New Time (Ukraine) (25 June 2015)
- Uainfo Blogosphere. "В Украине захватывают областные госадминистрации". Big Mir. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - Babiak, Mat. "Is Russia Opening a 'Crimean Front'?". Ukrainian Policy. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.
{{cite web}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "EuroMaidan rallies in Ukraine". Kyiv Post. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "Regions Party gets 80 of 100 seats on Crimean parliament". Interfax-Ukraine. 11 November 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "Regions of Crimea meeting didn't address separation of Crimea from Ukraine – deputy prime minister of Crimea". Interfax-Ukraine. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "Прем'єр Криму Могильов заявляє, що виконуватиме нові закони" (in Ukrainian). Radio Svoboda. 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "У Криму вимагають розпуску парламенту автономії і знесення пам'ятника Леніну" (in Ukrainian). Radio Svoboda. 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "Ukraine crisis fuels secession calls in pro-Russian south". The Guardian. 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - ^ "Rosja przygotowuje się do zbrojnej interwencji na Ukrainie?". Newsweek Polska (in Polish). 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "В Керчи митингующие сорвали украинский флаг и мэрии и повесили российский : Новости УНИАН". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- "У Севастополі вимагають віддати владу ''вибраному'' на мітингу ''меру '' | Українська правда". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- "Ukraine Liveblog: Day 7 — Decoding Documents & Indicting Dictators". The Interpreter. 24 February 2014.
- Пророссийские силы заблокировали ВР Крыма, требуют референдума о независимости: парламент собирается на внеочередное заседание. [Pro-Russian forces blocked the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea demanding an independence referendum: Parliament to meet in an extraordinary session.]. censor.net.ua (in Russian). 25 February 2014.
- Contemporary Ukraine: Dynamics of Post-Soviet Transformation by Taras Kuzio, M.E. Sharpe, 1998, ISBN 978-0-7656-0224-4 (page 44)
- Howard Amos (25 February 2014). "Ukraine: Sevastopol installs pro-Russian mayor as separatism fears grow". The Guardian.
- Активисты Крыма требуют отделения полуострова от Украины [Activists demand separation of Crimea from Ukraine]. rbc.ru (in Russian). 25 February 2014.
- "Stones, bottles thrown as pro-, anti-Russian protesters clash in Crimea". Russia Today. 26 February 2014.
- Crimean Tatars, pro-Russia supporters approach Crimean parliament building, Interfax-Ukraine (26 February 2014)
- У парламенті Криму заявили, що не планують відділятись від України [Crimean parliament stated they did not plan to separate from Ukraine]. pravda.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 26 February 2014.
- Татари розійшлися створювати самооборону, щоб захищати Крим [Tartars dispersed to organise themselves to defend Crimea]. pravda.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 26 February 2014.
- Crimean Tatars leave parliament square; Russian Unity supporters continue rally, Interfax-Ukraine (26 February 2014)
- Crimean police ordered to prevent clashes at any cost, Interfax-Ukraine (26 February 2014)
- Ukraine asking UN to monitor security situation in Crimea round the clock, says security service chief, Interfax-Ukraine (26 February 2014)
- Mark MacKinnon (26 February 2014). "Globe in Ukraine: Russian-backed fighters restrict access to Crimean city". The Globe and Mail.
- Andrew Higgins; Steven Erlanger (27 February 2014). "Gunmen Seize Government Buildings in Crimea". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- "Lessons identified in Crimea – does Estonia's national defence model meet our needs?". Estonian World. 5 May 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Gumuchian, Marie-Louise; Smith-Spark, Laura; Formanek, Ingrid (27 February 2014). "Gunmen seize government buildings in Ukraine's Crimea, raise Russian flag". CNN.
- ^ "Lenta.ru: Бывший СССР: Украина: Украинский депутат объявил о бунте крымского "Беркута"".
- ^ http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/193292.html Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear]. Interfax-Ukraine, 27 February 2014.
- ^ RPT-INSIGHT: How the separatists delivered Crimea to Moscow. Reuters, 13 March 2014.
- Crimea sets date for autonomy vote amid gunmen, anti-Kiev protests, (27 February 2014).
- Crimean parliament to decide on appointment of autonomous republic's premier on Tuesday, Interfax Ukraine (7 November 2011).
- Template:Uk icon The new prime minister is the leader of Russian Unity, Ukrayinska Pravda (27 February 2014).
- Крымские власти объявили о подчинении Януковичу. lenta.ru (in Russian). 28 February 2014.
- ^ Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear, Interfax-Ukraine (27 February 2014).
- "Putin's narrative on Crimea annexation takes an evolutionary leap". Kyiv Post. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- Турчинов издал указ о незаконности избрания нового премьера Крыма (in Ukrainian). 1 March 2014.
- "ПОСТ "ЧОНГАР" КОНТРОЛИРУЕТ КРЫМСКИЙ "БЕРКУТ" ПОДЧИНЕННЫЙ ЯНУКОВИЧУ видео) - 27 Февраля 2014 - "Новый Визит" Генический информационный портал".
- На Чонгарском перешейке дежурит «Беркут» и некие гражданские лица ["Berkut" and some civilians act as sentries at Chongarsky Isthmus] (in Russian). news.allcrimea.net. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- Армянск Информационный. "Армянск Информационный - Под Армянск стянулись силовики из "Беркута"".
- "Lenta.ru: Бывший СССР: Украина: СМИ сообщили о блокпостах "Беркута" на въездах в Крым".
- "Премьер-министр Крыма попросил Путина о помощи". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia.
- Владимир Путин внёс обращение в Совет Федерации. kremlin.ru (in Russian).
- Постановление Совета Федерации Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации от 1 марта 2014 года № 48-СФ "Об использовании Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации на территории Украины" (PDF). Federation Council of Russia council.gov.ru (in Russian).
- "Russian Parliament approves use of army in Ukraine".
- Walker, Shaun (4 March 2014). "Russian takeover of Crimea will not descend into war, says Vladimir Putin". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- Yoon, Sangwon; Krasnolutska, Daryna; Choursina, Kateryna (4 March 2014). "Russia Stays in Ukraine as Putin Channels Yanukovych Request". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - "Russia says cannot order Crimean 'self-defense' units back to base".
- "Speech by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his answers to questions from the mass media summarising the meeting with EU, Russian, US and Ukrainian representatives, Geneva, 17 April 2014".
- Шойгу: действия Минобороны РФ в Крыму были вызваны угрозой жизни мирного населения (in Russian). Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 4 April 2014.
- "Russia redeploys ships of Baltic and Northern fleets to Sevastopol, violates agreement with Ukraine". Ukrinform. 3 March 2014.
- ^ Charles Crawford (10 March 2014). "Vladimir Putin's illegal occupation of Crimea is an attempt to put Europe's borders up for grabs". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "25 March 2014". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- Медведев: Россия не гарантирует целостность Украины [Medvedev: Russia does not guarantee the integrity of Ukraine] (in Russian). BBC. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- "Statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding accusations of Russia's violation of its obligations under the Budapest Memorandum of 5 December 1994". Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- "NATO Recon Missed Everything: Admiral Reveals Details of Crimea Operation". Sputnik. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- Dilanian, Ken (3 March 2014). "CIA reportedly says Russia sees treaty as justifying Ukraine moves". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- Yeroshko, Iryna (4 March 2014). "Ukraine: Russia shows 'complete disregard' for Black Sea Fleet agreement in Crimea". Kyiv Post.
- "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin". kremlin.ru. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ""Address by President of the Russian Federation". kremlin.ru. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- "Joint Statement by the United States and Ukraine". mfa.gov.ua. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Belarus: Budapest Memorandum" (Press release). U.S. Embassy in Minsk, Belarus. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- "Constitution of the Russian Federation".
- "Opinion on "Whether Draft Federal constitutional Law No. 462741-6 on amending the Federal constitutional Law of the Russian Federation on the procedure of admission to the Russian Federation and creation of a new subject within the Russian Federation is compatible with international law" endorsed by the Venice Commission at its 98th Plenary Session (Venice, 21-22 March 2014)". Venice Commission. 21–22 March 2014.
- "Draft Federal Constitutional Law of the Russian Federation 'amending the Federal Constitutional Law on the Procedure of Admission to the Russian Federation and creation of a new subject of the Russian Federation in its composition' of the Russian Federation (translation)". 10 March 2014.
- "CDL-AD(2014)004-e Opinion on "Whether Draft Federal constitutional Law No. 462741-6 on amending the Federal constitutional Law of the Russian Federation on the procedure of admission to the Russian Federation and creation of a new subject within the Russian Federation is compatible with international law" endorsed by the Venice Commission at its 98th Plenary Session (Venice, 21-22 March 2014)". Venice Commission. March 2014.
- Крым определился, каким способом войдет в Россию (in Russian). Vedomosti. 11 March 2014.
- Законопроект № 462741-6 О внесении изменений в Федеральный конституционный закон "О порядке принятия в Российскую Федерацию и образования в ее составе нового субъекта Российской Федерации" (в части расширения предмета правового регулирования названного Федерального конституционного закона). duma.gov.ru (in Russian).
- "Постановление ВР АРК "Об организации и проведении республиканского (местного) референдума по вопросам усовершенствования статуса и полномочий Автономной Республики Крым"". Rada.crimea.ua. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- Аксенов: перенос референдума в Крыму связан с тем, что конфликт вышел за пределы разумного (in Russian). Interfax.
- "Суд признал незаконными назначение Аксенова премьером и проведение референдума в Крыму". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- Россия не рассматривает вариант присоединения Крыма к России (in Russian). Interfax. 4 March 2014.
- "Putin reveals secrets of Russia's Crimea takeover plot". BBC. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
Soldatkin, Vladimir; Stamp, David (9 March 2014). "Putin says plan to take Crimea hatched before referendum". Reuters. Retrieved 10 March 2015. - Путин: Россия не планировала присоединять Крым (in Russian). Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 10 April 2014.
- Референдум в Крыму: ответ "нет" не предусмотрен. Voice of America (in Russian).
- "КС признал неконституционным постановление о проведении референдума в Крыму - Видео".
- "Crimea referendum Wide condemnation after region votes to split from Ukraine Fox News". Fox News Channel. 16 March 2014.
- Halimah, Halimah (17 March 2014). "Crimea's vote: Was it legal?". CNN. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- Paul Roderick Gregory (5 May 2014). "Putin's 'Human Rights Council' Accidentally Posts Real Crimean Election Results". Forbes.
- Проблемы жителей Крыма Template:Ru icon
- "Extreemrechtse partijen uitgenodigd op referendum Krim" (in Dutch). De Redactie. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- "Referendum day in Crimea's Simferopol". Deutsche Welle. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
- Постановление Верховной Рады Автономной Республики Крым от 17 марта 2014 года № 1745-6/14 "О независимости Крыма". rada.crimea.ua (in Russian).
- Парламент Крыма национализировал порты полуострова и их имущество. nbnews.com.ua (in Russian). 17 March 2014.
- Крым национализировал "Черноморнефтегаз". glavred.info (in Russian). 17 March 2014.
- "Crimea applies to be part of Russian Federation after vote to leave Ukraine". The Guardian. 17 March 2014.
- Крым начал процедуру присоединения к РФ, объявив о независимости (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 17 March 2014.
- " "Russian ruble announced Crimea's official currency". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 17 March 2014.
- Названа дата перехода Крыма на московское время. Lenta.ru (in Russian). 17 March 2014.
- "Executive Order on recognising Republic of Crimea". Kremlin. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- Archived 2014-03-18 at the Wayback Machine at http://www.pravo.gov.ru Template:Ru icon
- "Договор между Российской Федерацией и Республикой Крым о принятии в Российскую Федерацию Республики Крым и образовании в составе Российской Федерации новых субъектов". Kremlin.ru. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- Ukraine crisis: Putin signs Russia-Crimea treaty, BBC, 18 March 2014
- "Crimea, Sevastopol officially join Russia as Putin signs final decree". RT. 22 March 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- "Ukraine officer 'killed in attack on Crimea base'". BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
Crimean police later said both Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces had been fired on from a single location (...) None of the accounts can be independently confirmed.
- "Sniper that killed two seized in Crimea – News – World – The Voice of Russia: News, Breaking news, Politics, Economics, Business, Russia, International current events, Expert opinion, podcasts, Video". The Voice of Russia. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- "None of the accounts can be independently confirmed.",Ukraine officer 'killed in attack on Crimea base', BBC, 19 March 2014
- "None of the accounts can be independently confirmed." Ukraine officer 'killed in attack on Crimea base', BBC, 19 March 2014
- "There was no immediate evidence that Russian soldiers were involved in Tuesday's incident, witnesses said."Ukrainian officer wounded in Crimea shooting: military spokesman, Yahoo News, 18 March 2014
- "Joint Funeral" 'Ukraine's unlikeliest funeral: the only two foes to die in Russia's Crimea takeover are mourned together', The Daily Telegraph, 22 March 2014
- "Joint Funeral2" 'Opposing sides in Crimean conflict come together today for Simferopol funeral of two men killed, one Ukrainian, the other Russian', Kyiv Post, 22 March 2014
- "Joint Funeral3" 'Funeral held for Crimea's first casualties', Agence France-Presse, 22 March 2014
- "Putin submits Treaty on Crimea's accession, new constitutional amendment to State Duma". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- "Treaty on Crimea's accession to Russia corresponds to Russian Constitution". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- "Russian Constitutional Court Backs Crimea Reunification, RIA NOVOSTI". RIA Novosti. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- "State Duma ratifies treaty on admission of Crimea into Russia". ITAR TASS. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "Госдума приняла закон о присоединении Крыма". Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- "Справка о голосовании по вопросу:О проекте федерального конституционного закона № 475944-6 "О принятии в Российскую Федерацию Республики Крым и образовании в составе Российской Федерации новых субъектов - Республики Крым и города федерального значения Севастополя" (первое чтение)". Vote.duma.gov.ru. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- "Справка о голосовании по вопросу: О проекте федерального конституционного закона № 475944-6 "О принятии в Российскую Федерацию Республики Крым и образовании в составе Российской Федерации новых субъектов - Республики Крым и города федерального значения Севастополя" (в целом)". Vote.duma.gov.ru. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
- "Russian Federation Council ratifies treaty on Crimea's entry to Russia". ITAR TASS. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Подписаны законы о принятии Крыма и Севастополя в состав России kremlin.ru Template:Ru icon
- "Федеральный конституционный закон от 21 марта 2014 г. N 6-ФКЗ "О принятии в Российскую Федерацию Республики Крым и образовании в составе Российской Федерации новых субъектов - Республики Крым и города федерального значения Севастополя"" (in Russian).
Article 1.<...>3. Republic of Crimea shall be considered admitted to the Russian Federation since date of signing of the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the Accession of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the Formation of New Federal Constituent Entities within the Russian Federation
- "Ukraine orders Crimea troop withdrawal as Russia seizes naval base". CNN. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- "Defense Ministry: 50% Of Ukrainian Troops In Crimea Defect To Russia". Un.ua. Ukrainian News Agency. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Jonathan Marcus (24 March 2014). "Ukrainian forces withdraw from Crimea". BBC. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- "Ukrainian News - Defense Ministry: 50% Of Ukrainian Troops In Crimea Defect To Russia". Un.ua. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- Jonathan Marcus (24 March 2014). "Ukrainian forces withdraw from Crimea". BBC. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- "United Nations News Centre - Backing Ukraine's territorial integrity, UN Assembly declares Crimea referendum invalid". United Nations. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- Charbonneau, Louis. "U.N. General Assembly declares Crimea secession vote invalid". Reuters. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- "В 22.00 в Крыму и в Севастополе стрелки часов переведут на два часа вперёд – на московское время". 29 March 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- "Crimea to set clocks to Russia time".
- Прекращено действие соглашений, касающихся пребывания Черноморского флота на Украине Kremlin.ru Template:Ru icon
- See Presidential explanatory note to the denunciation bill Template:Ru icon
- Nikiforov, Vadim (12 March 2014). Крым и Севастополь ожидают представления свыше (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- Nezamyatnyj, Ivan (11 April 2014). Крым прописался в конституции России. mk.ru (in Russian).
- "Российские туристы поедут в Крым, если ...смогут туда добраться". Komsomolskaya Pravda. 17 July 2013.
- "Крым готовится к референдуму и ожидает Русских сезонов". РИА Оренбуржье. 17 March 2014.
- "Снова в "Артек"". Vzglyad. 17 March 2014.
- "Die Welt: Crimea's Accession Will Cost Russia Billions". Novinite. 17 March 2014.
- "Decision to annex Crimea 'taken by Putin personally'". UNIAN. 3 March 2015.
- "Расходный полуостров". Kommersant. 7 March 2014.
- "In taking Crimea, Putin gains a sea of fuel reserves". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- Crimea: an EU-US-Exxon Screwup. CounterPunch. 23–25 May 2014.
- "Оздоровлением курортов Крыма займется Руслан Байсаров". Top.rbc.ru. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- "Central Telegraph to set Russian tariffs on telegrams in Crimea Apr 3". Prime. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- "Крымчанам придется поменять номера телефонов и SIM-карты". comnews.ru. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
- ""Почта России" переводит почтовое сообщение с Крымом на российские тарифы". comnews.ru. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- "Russian state border in north Crimea to be fully equipped in early May". ITAR TASS. 29 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
- "Sneaking into Crimea - Or Maybe Not". Forbes. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
- О пунктах пропуска через государственную границу России в Республике Крым и городе Севастополе
- "Government Order on checkpoints at the Russian border in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol". Government of Russia official website. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
- Mills, Laura; Dahlburg, John-Thor (2 December 2014). "Change of leadership in Crimea means property grab". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 December 2014.
- MacFarquhar, Neil (10 January 2015). "Seizing Assets in Crimea, From Shipyard to Film Studio". The New York Times.
- Antonova, Maria (27 February 2015). "Under Russia, isolated Crimea is twilight zone for business". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - "Crimea: Attacks, 'Disappearances' by Illegal Forces". Human Rights Watch. 14 March 2014.
- ^ Федеральный закон от 28.12.2013 N 433-ФЗ "О внесении изменения в Уголовный кодекс Российской Федерации" Template:Ru icon
- Автор статьи: Мария Макутина. "За призывы вернуть Крым Украине можно будет лишиться свободы сроком до пяти лет - РБК daily". Rbcdaily.ru. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- Крымским татарам запретили митинговать [Crimean Tatars have been banned from holding protest rallies] (in Russian). gazeta.ru. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ Hille, Katherine (18 May 2014). "Crimean Tatars defy ban on rallies to commemorate deportation". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ Winning, Alexander (18 May 2014). "Crimean Tatars commemorate Soviet deportation despite ban". Reuters. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- "Crimea helicopters try to disrupt Tatar rallies". BBC News. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- "Russia jails Crimea activist for 4 years over Kiev protest allegations". Agence France-Press. Global Post. 15 May 2015.
- Bilych, Ivanna; Neumann, Andreas; Okpara, Victor C.; Pichaipillai, Ajitha; de Moura Sena, Matheus; Sharvan, Olena (15 June 2015). "Human Rights on Occupied Territory: Case of Crimea". Razom.
- Chalupa, Andrea (23 June 2015). "Crimean Gangland: Putin's Seaside Mafia State". The Daily Beast.
- ^ "News-gathering and policy perceptions in Ukraine" (PDF). Broadcasting Board of Governors. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Despite Concerns about Governance, Ukrainians Want to Remain One Country" (PDF) (Press release). Pew Research Centre. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- "Crimean authorities work under barrel of a gun - Ukraine leader". Reuters. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- МИД вызвал Временного поверенного в делах РФ в Украине для вручения ноты-протеста. unn.com.ua (in Russian). 18 March 2014.
- Декларація "Про боротьбу за звільнення України". rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian).
- Верховна Рада України ухвалила Закон "Про забезпечення прав і свобод громадян та правовий режим на тимчасово окупованій території України" (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada. 15 April 2014.
- "Ukraine Parliament declares Crimea temporarily occupied territory". news.biharprabha.com. Indo-Asian News Service. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
- Верховная Рада Украины приняла Закон "Об обеспечении прав и свобод граждан и правовом режиме на временно оккупированной территории Украины" (in Russian). Verkhovna Rada. 15 April 2014.
- Рада приняла закон о защите прав граждан "оккупированного Крыма". vz.ru (in Russian). 15 April 2014.
- ^ "Russia fears Crimea water shortage as supply drops". BBC News. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 26 April 2014. Cite error: The named reference "bbc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- Ennis, Stephen (12 March 2014). "Ukraine hits back at Russian TV onslaught". BBC. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Некоторые кинотеатры Киева, Львова и Одессы объявили бойкот российской кинопродукции Template:Ref-ru. ЦензорНЕТ. 11.04.2014
- "4 Reasons Putin Is Already Losing in Ukraine". Time. 3 March 2014.
- Rothkopf, David (25 February 2014). "All (Not) Quiet on Ukraine's Eastern Front". Foreign policy.
- "Russia May Be Preparing to Annex Crimea Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!". Infowars.com. 24 February 2014.
- "Российские паспорта и присоединение к РФ: Депутаты Госдумы прибыли в Крым (Rossiyskiye pasporta i prisoyedineniye k RF: Deputaty Gosdumy pribyli v Krym)". Gordonua (in Ukrainian). 25 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "В Госдуме опровергли данные о выдаче паспортов РФ жителям Крыма (V Gosdume oprovergli dannyye o vydache pasportov RF zhitelyam Kryma)". Argumenty i Fakty (in Ukrainian). 25 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "Росія обіцяє втрутитися, якщо росіянам в Україні буде загроза (Rosiya obitsyaye vtrutytysya, yakshcho rosiyanam v Ukrayini bude zahroza)". Українська правда (Ukrayins'ka pravda) (in Ukrainian). UA. 25 February 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "У Росії Януковича все ще вважають президентом – Слуцький (U Rosiyi Yanukovycha vse shche vvazhayut' prezydentom – Sluts'kyy)". Українська правда (Ukrayins'ka pravda) . UA. 25 February 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "Госдума России обсуждает меры по защите крымчан (Gosduma Rossii obsuzhdayet mery po zashchite krymchan)". RU: Интерфакс (Interfax).
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - Alpert, Lukas I. "Russia Orders Military Exercises Amid Ukraine Tension". The Wall Street Journal.
- "The media question about the movements of the Black Sea Fleet armored vehicles" (comment). The Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. 27 February 2014.
- "Russian Defense Ministry: The Black Sea Fleet is not a threat to the situation in Ukraine". RIA News. 27 February 2014.
- "Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the movement of armored vehicles in Crimea". Ukrayinska Pravda. 27 February 2014.
- "Draft law of FMS and the Ministry of Economy of granting citizenship". RIA News. 27 February 2014.
- ^ "MID of Russia made another statement on Ukraine: militants, NATO, provocations". Ukrayinska Pravda. 27 February 2014.
- "Tensions high at Kiev protest camp despite ground-breaking deal". CTV News. 21 February 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
{{cite news}}
:|archive-date=
/|archive-url=
timestamp mismatch; 1 December 2008 suggested (help) - "Russia has suspended negotiations with Ukraine on the project of Kerch bridge". Ukrinform. 28 February 2014.
- Медведев распорядился создать компанию для строительства моста через керченский пролив. Dozhd (in Russian). Russia: TV Rain. 3 March 2014.
- The Moscow Times. 4 March 2014
- "In Russia there are gathering "tourists" to Ukraine who served in the military". Ukrayinska Pravda. 28 February 2014.
- "Ukraine crisis live: Russia admits its troops are moving in Crimea". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
- "Russian Foreign Ministry called the Ukrainian revolution "brown"". Lenta. RU. 19 February 2014.
- "Russian Foreign Ministry: In Ukraine the "brown" revolution, we will apply all the influence". Ukrayinska Pravda. UA. 19 February 2014.
- Council of the Federation: Russia may introduce troops into Crimea. Ukrainska Pravda. 1 March 2014.
- ^ "Vladimir Putin sees small protests, mass support for troops in Ukraine (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. 2 March 2014.
- "In Russia were detained activists who protested against the war with Ukraine". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 1 March 2014.
- "На антивоенных акциях в Москве задержаны 300 человек (Na antivoyennykh aktsiyakh v Moskve zaderzhany 300 chelovek)" (in Russian). RU: Utro. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "В Москве и Перебурге проходят митинги против российской оккупации Крыма. Уже есть задержанные (V Moskve i Peterburge prokhodyat mitingi protiv rossiyskoy okkupatsii Kryma. Uzhe yest' zaderzhannyye)" (in Russian). Центр журналистских расследований (Tsentr zhurnalistskikh rassledovaniy) . Retrieved 2 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "Жители Екатеринбурга провели пикеты против ввода российских войск в Крым (Zhiteli Yekaterinburga proveli pikety protiv vvoda rossiyskikh voysk v Krym)". Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). RU. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - ""Сколько детей ты готов похоронить, чтобы Крым стал частью России?" Первые антивоенные пикеты прошли на Урале ("Skol'ko detey ty gotov pokhoronit', chtoby Krym stal chast'yu Rossii?" Pervyye antivoyennyye pikety proshli na Urale)" (in Russian). RU: Ura. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "Не стреляй! Шевчук, Гребенщиков, Макаревич. Антивоенная риторика (Ne strelyay! Shevchuk, Grebenshchikov, Makarevich. Antivoyennaya ritorika)". Novaya Gazeta (in Russian). Retrieved 4 March 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - Bershidsky, Leonid (25 March 2014). "Comparing Putin to Hitler Will Get You Fired". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ "Ukraine crisis: Russians opposed to Putin". BBC News Magazine. 12 March 2014.
- "Putin defends Ukraine stance, cites lawlessness". The Washington Post. 4 March 2014.
- ^ "Putin's move on Crimea bolsters popularity back home". USA Today. 19 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- ^ "Putin shares the view that if in Ukraine "revolution" – then on its territory is a new state". Mirror Weekly. 4 March 2014.
- "Russia claims thousands fleeing Ukraine". Nine MSN. AU. 2 March 2014.
- "мзс україні спростувало зростання кількості бігентсив до росії (MZS Ukrayini sprostuvalo zrostannya kil'kosti bihent·syv do rosiyi)". Ukrinform. 4 March 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - "мзс путін продовґуе дезінформувати весь світ заради виправдання своїх дії (MZS Putin prodovgue dezinformuvaty ves' svit zarady vypravdannya svoyikh diyi)". UA. Ukrinform. 4 March 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|trans_title=
ignored (|trans-title=
suggested) (help) - Abby Martin: Russia Today supports me. CNN. 5 March 2014.
- Kirchick, James (5 March 2014). "Exclusive: RT Anchor Liz Wahl Explains Why She Quit". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- Anna Dolgov (7 March 2014). "Leningrad Blockade Survivor Arrested, Fined For Anti-War Protest". The Moscow Times.
- "Khodorkovsky: Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broad autonomous status". Interfax. 10 March 2014.
- ^ "Crimea crisis: The Tatarstan factor – Opinion". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Rfe/Rl (1 April 2014). "Crimean Tatar Leader Calls For UN Peacekeeping Troops". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- "Crimea Vote: Putin Cites Kosovo 'Precedent'" CNS News.16 March 2014.
- Lipsky, Andrey (25 February 2015). "Представляется правильным инициировать присоединение восточных областей Украины к России". No. 19. Novaya Gazeta.
- Schofield, Matthew (22 February 2014). "BERLIN: Russian news report: Putin approved Ukraine invasion before Kiev government collapsed | Europe". McClatchy DC. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "Report to Allege Direct Kremlin Link to Ukraine Invasion". Voice of America. 15 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "World War 3: Vladimir Putin Plotted Ukraine Invasion Early As February 2014, New Report Says". Inquisitr.com. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- "Михаил Касьянов: "Все решения по Крыму незаконны"". Radio Svoboda. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- CHARBONNEAU AND DONATH, MIRJAM AND LOUIS (27 March 2014). "U.N. General Assembly declares Crimea secession vote invalid". Reuters.
- "Russia sanctions 9 US officials in response to US sanctions on Russian officials". CNBC. 20 March 2014.
- "Executive Order 13660 – Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine" (Press release). White House Office of the Press Secretary. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
- "EU Slaps Initial Sanctions on Russia". ABC News. Associated Press. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- "Sanctions threat grows as Ukraine tensions rise". Mainichi Shimbun. Japan. 4 March 2014.
- "Japan imposes sanctions against Russia over Crimea independence". Fox News Channel. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Baker, Luke. "EU to offer 500 million euros of trade benefits to Ukraine". Reuters. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
- "Ukraine: MEPs call for firm action on Russia to prevent further escalation". European Parliament. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Lawmakers call for suspension of Russia from G8, swift action against Putin". Political ticker (World Wide Web log). CNN. 2 March 2014.
- "Russia G8 status at risk over 'incredible act of aggression' in Crimea, says Kerry". The Guardian. UK. 2 March 2014.
- "North Atlantic Council statement on the situation in Ukraine". Nato.int. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- "PACE: News". Assembly.coe.int. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- "Statement of the Prime Ministers of the Visegrád Countries on Ukraine" (Press release). Hungary: Prime Minister's Office.
- FlorCruz, Jaime (6 March 2014). "Russia may find ally in China – albeit a passive one for now". CNN. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- Economy, Elizabeth (6 March 2014). "China's Soft 'Nyet' To Russia's Ukraine Intervention". Forbes. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- "Russia has legitimate interests in Ukraine: Shivshankar Menon, NSA". The Economic Times. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- "However, when questioned, national security adviser Shivshankar Menon said..." (source)
- "India not to support western sanctions against Russia". The Times of India. 19 March 2014.
- "Syria's Assad expresses support to Putin on Ukraine". euronews. 18 May 2013.
- "Putin on Ukraine Supported by China-Syria-Venezuela Minority". Bloomberg News. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- "Sri Lanka regrets removal of Ukrainian president". Business Standard. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Russia risks political and economic damage over Ukraine, says Merkel". The Guardian. 13 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014.
- Bryant, Chris (27 March 2014). "German business concerns grow over Russia ties". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
German entities have invested roughly €20bn in Russia and some 6,200 companies – mostly small and medium-sized Mittelstand businesses – are active there. Last year trade between the two countries totalled more than €76bn. … Russia supplies 35 per cent of German gas and 30 per cent of its oil.
- ^ Freeman, Colin (24 March 2014). "Russian troops poised to 'run' into Moldova, Nato commander warns". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- Rfe/Rl (10 April 2014). "PACE Deprives Russia of Voting Rights". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- "Putin talks of peace in annexed Crimea". ABC AU. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
- "Russia vetoes U.N. resolution on Crimea's future". USA Today. Associated Press. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- "General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region". United Nations. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- "Ukraine: UN condemns Crimea vote as IMF and US back loans". BBC News. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- "Afghan president Hamid Karzai backs Russia's annexation of Crimea". The Guardian. 24 March 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- "Visiting Russia, Fidel Castro's Son Scoffs at U.S. Sanctions Over Crimea". The Moscow Times.
- "Nicaragua recognizes Crimea as part of Russia". Kyiv Post. 27 March 2014.
- КНДР одобрила присоединение Крыма к России. Lenta.ru. 30 December 2014.
- Russian Federation Council ratifies treaty on Crimea’s entry to Russia. itar-tass.com. 21 March 2014
- ^ "Gunmen Seize Government Buildings in Crimea". The New York Times. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
Masked men with guns seized government buildings in the capital of Ukraine's Crimea region on Thursday, barricading themselves inside and raising the Russian flag after mysterious overnight raids that appeared to be the work of militant Russian nationalists who want this volatile Black Sea region ruled from Moscow.
- President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko answers questions of mass media representatives on 23 March 2014. president.gov.by. 23 March 2014.
- "Transnistria wants to merge with Russia". Vestnik Kavkaza. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- "Moldova's Trans-Dniester region pleads to join Russia". BBC. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- "Dniester public organizations ask Russia to consider possibility of Transnistria accession". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 18 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
- Gianluca Mezzofiore (16 April 2014). "Transnistria Urges Kremlin and UN to Recognise Independence". International Business Times. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- "Peskov: Putin aware of Transnistria's request on independence recognition". Kyiv Post. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
- "Putin's words over Crimea 'terribly reminiscent of Hitler'". Euronews. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- "Crimea invasion: Putin acting like Hitler in Ukraine land snatch". The International Business Times. UK.
- "Hillary Clinton says Vladimir Putin's Crimea occupation echoes Hitler". The Guardian. 6 March 2014.
- Reitschuster, Boris (7 February 2014). "Sochi is to Putin what Berlin in 1936 was to Hitler, says Garry Kasparov". The Guardian.
- Putin 'a new Hitler heading for Europe': Ukrainian MP. CNBC.
- "John Baird compares Russia's Ukraine response to Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia". Canada: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
- Глава Минфина ФРГ: Я не сравнивал Россию с нацистской Германией. top.rbc.ru (in Russian). 4 April 2014.
- "Merkel: Crimea grab 'against international law'".
- "EUobserver / Merkel: Comparing Crimea to Kosovo is 'shameful'".
- "Germany's Goal: Restoring Russia-Annexed Crimea to Ukraine". The New York Times. Associated Press. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Nicholas Watt. "Ukraine: UK to push for tougher sanctions against Russia over Crimea". The Guardian.
- Laura Smith-Spark, Diana Magnay and Nick Paton Walsh, CNN (16 March 2014). "Ukraine crisis: Early results show Crimea votes to join Russia". CNN.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - "European Commission - PRESS RELEASES - Press release - Joint statement on Crimea by the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso".
- Green party criticizes Helmut Schmidt for Putin statements Der Spiegel – Retrieved on March 27, 2014
- "Cold War Ghosts Haunt East Europe in Moves for Crimea". Bloomberg. 3 March 2014
- Kramer, David J. (22 December 2014). "We Have Allowed Aggression to Stand". The American Interest.
- "Mikhail Gorbachev hails Crimea annexation to Russia". United Press International. 18 March 2014.
- "President of Russia". Eng.kremlin.ru. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
- Katakey, Rakteem (25 March 2014). "Russian Oil Seen Heading East Not West in Crimea Spat". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- "Japan imposes sanctions against Russia over Crimea independence". Fox News Channel.
- ^ "All Russian MPs volunteer to be subject to US, EU sanctions". 2014-03-18. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- Jenkins, Patrick; Schäfer, Daniel; Weaver, Courtney; Farchy, Jack (14 March 2014). "Russian companies withdraw billions from west, say Moscow bankers". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- Sanctions tit-for-tat: Moscow strikes back against US officials RT Retrieved on 20 March 2014
- ^ Lowery & O'Keefe, Wesley & Ed (20 March 2014). "Reacting to sanctions, Russians ban Reid, Boehner and four other lawmakers". The Washington Post.
- Isherwood, Darryl (20 March 2014). "Bob Menendez is banned from Russia". NJ.
- ^ Weigel, David (20 March 2014). "Senators Celebrate Being Sanctioned by Russia". Slate.
- ^ Steven Chase (24 March 2014). "Russia imposes sanctions on 13 Canadians, including MPs". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Susana Mas (24 March 2014). "Russian sanctions against Canadians a 'badge of honour'". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
- "Punish Russia? Why some Pentagon officials would prefer restraint.," The Christian Science Monitor, 4 March 2014.
- ^ Farchy, Jack; Hume, Neil (21 March 2014). "Russian share prices drop as sanctions bite". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Buckley, Neil (21 March 2014). "Putin feels the heat as sanctions target president's inner circle". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Traynor, Ian (21 March 2014). "European Union prepares for trade war with Russia over Crimea". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ^ Tanas, Olga (21 March 2014). "Russia's Credit Outlook Cut as U.S., EU Widen Sanction Lists". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Timu, Andra; Meyer, Henry; Tanas, Olga (23 March 2014). "Russia Staring at Recession on Sanctions That Could Get Tougher". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- Hille, Kathrin; McGregor, Richard (24 March 2014). "Russia braced for $70bn in outflows". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- Weaver, Courtney; Farchy, Jack (25 March 2014). "Funds cut Russian holdings after sanctions". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
Deputy economy minister Andrei Klepach estimates that Russian capital outflows will total up to $70bn in the first quarter, more than the $63bn that left the country during the whole of 2013.
- Farchy, Jack; Arnold, Martin (18 April 2014). "Banks retreat from Moscow deals". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- Farchy, Jack; Hille, Kathrin; Weaver, Courtney (21 March 2014). "Russian executives quake as US sanctions rattle markets". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Pavliva, Halia (23 March 2014). "EU's Muted Crimea Response Triggers Russian Stock Rebound". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- Matzen, Eric; Martin, Michelle (21 March 2014). "Russian sanctions ripple through corporate boardrooms". Reuters. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Hille, Kathrin (21 March 2014). "Putin boosted by defiant tone at top and among people". Financial Times. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- Alpert, Lukas I.; Sonne, Paul (21 March 2014). "Russia Sends Mixed Signals in Response to U.S. Sanctions". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- "Минэкономразвития РФ опасается негативного влияния западных санкций". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- Fraher, John (18 April 2014). "Energy Needs Curb Eastern EU Hunger for Russian Sanctions". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- "Правозащитники рассказали об отказах в выдаче виз после поездок в Крым". Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- "Роскомнадзор распорядился заблокировать сайт Общества защиты прав потребителей". tvrain.ru. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- "Map of Ukraine" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- "Statement Regarding the Mapping of Crimea". National Geographic Society. 19 March 2014.
- ^ КРЫМ НА КАРТАХ МИРА: СИТУАЦИЯ ПОМЕНЯЛАСЬ. hi-tech.mail.ru (in Russian). 11 April 2014.
- "Google сделала Крым российским на картах для рунета". lenta.ru (in Russian). 11 April 2014.
- Kyle O'Donnell and Julie Johnsson (22 March 2014). "Russian Cartographers Add Crimea to Maps Amid Sanctions". Bloomberg L.P.
- "Яндекс" показывает разные карты в России и на Украине. slon.ru (in Russian). 22 March 2014.
- "Parliament challenges mapmakers to mark Crimea Russian territory". en.itar-tass.com. 26 March 2014.
- "Statement by the DWG on edit conflicts in Crimea". OpenStreetMap Foundation. 5 June 2014.
In the short-term Crimea shall remain in both the Ukraine and Russia administrative relations, and be indicated as disputed. We recognize that being in two administrative relations is not a good long-term solution, although the region is likely to be indicated as disputed for some time.
- "Mail.ru и Yandex изменят карты в связи с присоединением Крыма к России" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 19 March 2014.
- "Back in the USSR? Spying and control in the new Crimea". CNN. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- "Crimea Rice Crop Fails Over Water War With Ukraine". The Moscow Times. 6 May 2014. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
External links
Template:2013–2015 Ukrainian Crisis navbox
Categories: