Crimea Crisis: Overview of The Annexation of Crimea

Introduction

The Special Political and Decolonization (Fourth General Assembly) has a specialized mandate that covers a wide range of topics, such as decolonization efforts, public information, mining actions, and outer space peacekeeping. It is also responsible for overseeing specific regional conflicts with the help of reports from subsidiary committees. In our committee, we will be discussing on the topic of political stability of post-Soviet states, specifically studying the annexation of Crimea.

Upon the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, post-Soviet states have found themselves in political turmoil and instability while fighting for democracy and economic prosperity. After nearly three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union in the late twentieth century, some post-Soviet states still find themselves struggling towards democratization and Westernization. For example, Crimea has long been a disputed region due to its strategic warm water ports on the Black Sea. For this reason, the region’s primary issue has constantly revolved around affiliation. Currently, Russia considers Crimea to be a part of their nation. Russian leaders argue that since the annexation was preceded by a referendum of the people of Crimea, Crimea is therefore lawfully a part of Russia. However, Ukraine and many other countries consider Russia’s actions as a strong disregard towards international laws and has since imposed countless sanctions on Russia as a result.

Crimea’s political, socio-economical, and legal systems continue to be influenced by Russia. This fragile relationship has brought resentments and chaos in the region and to the bordering nations. Delegates are not only required to propose feasible solutions but also encouraged to maintain their nation’s political stance and interest within this forum.

Definition of Key Terms

Annexation

A unilateral act where one state seizes a territory that belongs to another state. This usually follows a military occupation of a territory.

Crimean Tatars

The Tartars are ethnic Turkics that inhabited the Crimean Peninsula from 13th to 17th century. They were one of the largest ethnic group before they were forcibly removed from the peninsula in 1944, as ordered by the USSR State Defense Committee. They were allowed to return to Ukraine in 1989. They currently make up 12% of the population in Crimea.

Referendum

A direct vote by the electorate of a country to advise or decide on a specific issue

Oblast

An administrative division or region in Russia and the former Soviet Union, and in some constituent republics of the former Soviet Union.

Ukrainian Revolution

The Ukrainian Revolution consists of a series of violent protesting events in the capital of Ukraine, Kiev in February 2014. As a result of this revolution, then President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych was ousted and the Ukrainian government was overthrown. However, southeastern Ukraine opposed to the revolution which eventually contributed to the succession crisis in Crimea and Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

Verkhovna Rada

Verkhovna Rada translates into Ukrainian Supreme Council, and it is also the Ukrainian Parliament. It is located in Kiev, capital of Ukraine, and mainly serves as the legislative body in the Ukrainian government. Some of its functions include adopting laws, appointing Prime Ministers, designating elections for and impeaching Presidents, and declaring war and peace.

Historical Background

The Crimean Peninsula is strategically located on the northern coast of the Black Sea with arable land and sufficient resources. It was once annexed by the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine the Great in 1783 and remained under it until 1954 when it was transferred to Ukraine SSR by then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. The territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine has since led to political instability in this region.

After the October Revolution in late 1917, many temporary governments arose in the Crimean Peninsula, such as Crimean People’s Republic, Crimean SSR, and Crimean Regional Government. Following a succession of governments in a few years, on the 18th of October 1921, Crimea became the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic of the Russian SFSR (Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), a part of Soviet Union. Like much of the Eastern front during World War II, Crimea was previously occupied by the Nazis. Sevastopol, the largest city on the Crimean Peninsula and a major Black Sea port, was almost completely destroyed by the war and had to be rebuilt stone by stone. Nevertheless, Joseph Stalin ordered the immediate deportation of 200,000 Crimean Tatars to Central Asia as a form of collective punishment for wartime collaboration with Nazis. Russia then deprived Crimea’s autonomy and changed Crimea into an oblast after the end of World War II in 1946. In 1954, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union transferred Crimea as a “gift” to Ukraine. In 1990, the restoration of the Crimea ASSR was proposed, therefore, a referendum was conducted in 1991. The referendum rewarded Crimea’s autonomous status within Ukraine.

Prior to the Crimea Crisis, multiple tensions occurred in regard to the relationship between Ukraine and Russia. For instance, in 2008, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko accused Russia of handing out Russian passports to Crimeans.

The Crimean Crisis

The Crimea Crisis started when Viktor Yanukovych, the fourth president of Ukraine, attended to an EU summit. He announced that he is going to suspend preparations for signing a trade deal with EU. He argued that Ukraine could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia. Yanukovych’s decision sparked the Orange Revolution. Thousands of protestors walked onto the streets of Kiev and forced a rerun of the presidential election that has been won by Yanukovych. Yanukovych then fled to Russia after the protest with the help of Putin.

A week following the president’s unauthorized departure, the Crimean Crisis ensued: armed men marched into Crimea and took over military facilities, government infrastructure, and checkpoints. Since the Ukrainian government was still in a deep crisis resulting from the fleeing of their president in the prior week, the Ukrainian military took no action and these unidentifiable men saw no backlash to their actions.

On the 16th of March, a secession referendum took place and 95.5% of ballots voted back to Russia. The vote was not recognized by the western countries because of Russia’s monitoring. As a result, whether the vote truly represents public opinion in Crimea was unclear.

Following this result to the referendum, Vladimir Putin signed a treaty that so-called the Accession Treaty, saying Crimea would be joined with Russia. In a total of one month, Crimea was officially annexed by Russia from Ukrainian possession.

Recent Development

Before its annexation, Crimea was a part of Ukraine and followed the Ukrainian parliament and laws. However, the people predominantly spoke Russian and followed Russian culture. After the annexation of Crimea, Russian legislation has been enforced on Crimea’s economic, legal, financial, and credit systems and becoming part of Russia’s respective systems.

Since the annexation of Crimea, there have been very serious reactions from the international community. Many countries and official organizations, including the UN, have claimed that Russia’s actions violated international laws. Russia is specifically said to have violated the Non-Intervention Provision in the UN charter, the 1996 Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between Russia and Ukraine, and the 1996 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances that the United States, United Kingdom, and Russia have all signed.

On top of the claims towards these specific violations, the EU and the US government have both intervened to help the Ukrainian government in response. Many countries have also imposed sanctions on Russia in response. In 2014, the International Monetary Fund put together a loan package of 17 billion dollars that would be distributed to Ukraine over the course of two years. The EU had also given Ukraine a support package of around 15 billion dollars, and the US had given Ukraine approximately one billion dollars in loan guarantees. As far as sanctions on Russia go, the US, EU, Japan, and Canada have all imposed sanctions on Russia and any officials that were affiliated with the seizing of Crimea. These sanctions include travel bans, the freezing of assets, and banning certain Russian banks from the US and EU-affiliated countries’ capital markets. In response, Russia has since put in place an import ban on food from the US and EU-affiliated nations.

In general, there has also been an increased NATO military presence in the Baltic states as the NATO Secretary General has come out to say that the annexation of Crimea is “the greatest threat to European security since the Cold War.” Along these lines, NATO has created a partnership for peace by creating an alliance with Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea.

Russian Government Perspective

President Putin has publicly illustrated Russia’s viewpoint on the annexation of Crimea declaring that, first and foremost, Russia stands by the legitimacy of the referendum. With 86% of eligible voters voting in the referendum and 96% of the voters voting in favor of joining Russia, Putin deems these statistics as an illustration of why Russia’s actions are merited: they are simply honoring the wishes of the people. Additionally, because Crimea has belonged to Russia from the years 1774 to 1954, Crimea has a deep Russian connection ingrained to its history, reflecting Crimea’s deep nationalistic connection to Russia.

One of Putin’s main arguments is that the annexation of Crimea is necessary in order to protect the Russian majority living in Crimea and who have been subjected to the ways of the Ukrainian government--ways that Putin describes as fascist and does not agree with. On top of that, Putin also argues that the referendum also reflects all the different population groups of Crimea and their wishes to join Russia. He notes that Crimean Tatars were treated harshly during the reign of the USSR and that his goal is to help reintegrate and rehabilitate the Tatars who have returned to Crimea.

In short, Putin and Russia’s perspective on the matter are that the referendum reflected the desire of the Crimean population to rejoin Russia in a fair and just matter- a desire that dates all the way back to the unmerited loss of Crimea to Ukraine in 1954. Furthermore, the near-unanimous result of this referendum can be explained through Crimea’s deep connection to Russian culture and Russian history. Lastly, Russia’s intentions in the annexation of Crimea are with the hopes to help Crimea and its people ameliorate their situations by being a part of a Russian nation as opposed to an unstable Ukrainian nation.

International Oppositional Perspective

Several countries, including many NATO and EU member states, have vocally argued that the referendum imposed on Crimea was neither legal, legitimate, nor constitutional under the Ukrainian Constitution. The Ukrainian Constitution states that a referendum whose outcome may cause a change in Ukraine’s territorial situation requires a vote from all Ukrainian people. Moreover, the constitution (which goes in line with international law) states that secession can occur only when a group or region’s human rights or rights to development have been violated, none of which are the case with Crimea. Along these lines, many of these countries share a concern for the voices of Crimean Tatars, a group of natives that have encountered severe discrimination under Russian rule in the past. They are severely skeptical of Putin’s statements that joining Russia is what all the different demographics of Crimea wanted. These countries view the military intervention shown by Russia to be a severe breach of international law and of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

To summarize, international opposition to Putin and his administration’s actions in Crimea argue that the referendum was not only unofficial and untrustworthy but also illegal and that Russia’s military presence in Ukraine is a large breach of international security. These countries have continued to encourage negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, have imposed sanctions on Russia, have sent aid to Ukraine, and have suggested that the blatant disregard for international law on the part of Russia is worrisome and a threat to European countries in the future.

The Crimean Tatars

President Putin’s claim that the Crimean Tatar population supports the annexation of Crimea has been disputed by many Crimean Tatars. Crimean Tatars is a predominantly Sunni Muslim group that currently comprises of about 12% of the Crimean population. Over the years of Russian and USSR rule. The Tatars have experienced a lot of discrimination. In 2014, shortly after the annexation occurred, the Tatars protested Russia’s actions. Recently, in 2017, the leader of the Tatar group of protesters, Ahtem Chiugoz, was said to be guilty of “stirring up mass disorder” vias these demonstrations in 2014 and has since been sent to prison for a sentence of eight years. Given their current minority status, Crimean Tatar’s needs and viewpoints are often silenced especially with regards to annexation. Similar to the arrest of Chiygoz, many Tatars continue to be silenced and allegedly harmed physically when attempting to make their voices heard while living in a Russian-ruled Crimea.

Pro-Russian Activist

Despite the international community’s skepticism regarding the legitimacy of the unanimous support for joining Russia in the 2014 referendum, there’s a large group of Crimeans who are very supportive of the annexation. With Russian being accounted for 60% of the population of Crimea, the population of Crimea is composed of many ethnically Russian people and Russian speakers. With that being said, they have a strong tie to Russia. Pro-Russian activists describe the annexation as feeling as though they have returned home after being homeless under Ukrainian rule. Some have gone further than using words as they took over a building of parliament in the city of Donetsk and maintained control of the building for three days. To sum up, the pro-Russian activists are very opposed to the Ukrainian government and strongly support the secession of Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine, to Russia.

Previous Attempted Solutions

Many countries have imposed countries sanctions on Russia since the start of the conflict, namely the United States, countries in the European Union, and Canada. These sanctions were issued to urge Russia to withdraw the annexation of Crimea, to no effect.

The Minsk Protocol is a more concrete example of previous negotiations between the countries. It’s an agreement signed between Ukraine, Russia, and other countries in September 2014 after a peace talk in Minsk, Belarus as organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The aim of this agreement is to alleviate tense situations that were ongoing in eastern Ukraine. Minsk II was signed in February 2015.

The UN peacekeeping group held a meeting for foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France to discuss possibilities of a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and the use of peacekeeping forces. However, this meeting that took place in June 2018 saw no direct effect as Russia and Ukraine cannot reach a consensus on the peacekeeping mission for this conflict.

Numerous conferences have also taken place in the Security Council of the United Nations. Yet again, countries failed to negotiate a successful deal as the United States, United Kingdom, and France are unable to find common ground with Russia and China. The US and UK call on for Russia to provide explanations for troops residing in eastern Ukraine while Russia refuses to acknowledge any illegal actions of Russian troops.

Conclusion

The annexation of Crimea is a large international issue for many reasons. Firstly, the best possible outcome for the population of Crimea seems to be complicated by the diverse population that currently lives there and their extensive history with Russia, the USSR, and Ukraine. Secondly, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are said to have been violated, something that cannot be overlooked by the international community. The crisis must continue to be amended so as to prevent a similar situation from happening in the future. Lastly, the crisis is a large international issue because of one of the members at hand, Russia, is a member of the Specpol, which therefore makes their actions much more complicated to solve. Specpol, as the fourth General Assembly, has the ability to re-stabilize the lives of the citizens of Crimea, help Ukraine on its path to regaining its territorial integrity and its sovereignty, and balance Russia’s important role to the international community with its political actions that have been deemed illegal.