The Crimean annexation by Russia in 2014

Abstract

The Crimean annexation by Russia happened in 2014. It violated the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine as well as established international order between the states. Both domestic and external causes provoked the Crimean annexation. The main causes of the annexation that provoked it on the domestic level were diversity of regions, ethnic diversity, diversity of memories, beliefs and views between ethnic Ukrainians and Russians, manipulations around the status of the Russian language, dual-state-building of Ukraine with a special status given to the Crimean Autonomic Republic, and the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol City. The main external causes were geopolitical controversy between the West and Russia, and applying diverse security concepts in a common dialogue between them. The annexation of Crimea is a dispute over geopolitics, not of international law. The thesis also explores how the state can react against the international system in the name of its national interest.