Russia Stole Crimea

Never mind that post-Euromaidan, in March of 2014, 97% of Crimean citizens voted to join the Russian Federation, turnout 83 and 89% turnout in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the local government of Sevastapol respectively. 

‘By indulging Ukraine's claims to Crimea, West is encouraging country's ‘neo-Nazi’ government policy, thunders Russian FM Lavrov’, 12 Aug, 2021, RT.com

Speaking to a group of young people involved with an art collective based on the disputed peninsula on Thursday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the West's support was pushing Zelensky to be more and more extreme in pursuit of his policy goals. The 'Crimean Platform' forum, he said, “will continue to nurture the neo-Nazi and racist mentality of the current Ukrainian government.” [...]

In April, Lavrov's official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, argued that Ukraine was recklessly indulging far-right sentiments to prop up its government and strengthen anti-Russian feeling. Speaking after demonstrators at a march in Kiev raised banners and carried flowers to commemorate the SS Galicia division, raised from Ukrainian levies to fight alongside Nazi Germany, Zakharova said government policy was an “insult” to those who had died in World War II.”

‘Ukraine CAN retake Crimea if West supports claims, Kiev insists, as Zelensky blasts ‘reluctant’ foreign leaders ‘afraid’ of Russia’, 23 Aug, 2021, RT.com

“Speaking on Monday at the opening of the ‘Crimean Platform’ conference, designed to bring dignitaries together to discuss the future of the region, Zelensky announced that “the countdown to the liberation of the peninsula” has already begun. According to him, August 23, 2021 will likely go down in history as the start of the de-occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

The president acknowledged that “our independent country, Ukraine, will never be able to return Crimea alone,” adding that pressure from abroad was required to “force Russia to sit down at the negotiating table.”  [...]

“However, at the same time, Zelensky has expressed frustration at the decision of some of the most significant Western leaders not to attend the ‘Crimean Platform.’ While the Baltic nations, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova, announced they would be represented at presidential level, most other European states elected to send a foreign minister instead.

In the case of both Germany and the US, delegates were taken from even lower down the diplomatic pecking order. Berlin and Washington will both be represented by their energy ministers.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has previously criticized the conference, saying that by supporting Kiev’s focus on regaining Crimea, the West “will continue to nurture the neo-Nazi and racist mentality of the current Ukrainian government.”

‘Crimea Platform summit participants recommit to work towards ending Russia’s occupation’, Aug. 23, 2021, kyivpost.com

“Thus, Zelensky said, Russia has to comply with international law — immediately allow in Crimea the watchdogs of human rights protection, the representatives of the United Nations and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.” [...]

Zelensky called on Russia to join the platform to find ways to end its occupation of Crimea and “fix the mistake that Russia made.”

“We begin the countdown to freeing Crimea,” he added.”

(cross-posted from Café Babylon)

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zed2's picture

If the people in the Crimea voted to be independent,

I think a people's will is what makes a country's government legitimate.

For that reason, numerous "deals" between the powerful lack legitimacy.

In the beginning of WWII Hitler and Stalin signed a deal dividing up Eastern Europe and pledging not to attack one another. We all know how badly that worked out. (or should) It didnt take Hitler long to break it, he invaded the former USSR - Several years later the Big Three met at Yalta and infamously divided up the postwar world into spheres of influence on a cocktail napkin.

International law unfortunately has allowed these deals to be made but has not made them public, this means nobody is safe, everything is a bargaining chip.

As long as these kinds of monster madmen are allowed to take power.

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wendy davis's picture

@zed2

but, but: Revanchist Russia! Nato claims that bith Georgia and Ukraine are 'under NATO's umbrella, and will be members soonish, if they can reform themselves!

a lengthy but fun source from june 2021, 2 outtakes:

The election of President Joe Biden and the prospect of a NATO summit in the summer (now scheduled for June 14 in Brussels) seem to have triggered new hopes about NATO enlargement in both Ukraine and Georgia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a interview earlier in the year that if he had a chance to ask Biden a question, it would be, “Mr. President, why are we [Ukraine] still not in NATO?” In the midst of the Russian military buildup, Zelensky urged that Ukraine be invited to participate in the Membership Action Plan, which is NATO’s fast-track roadmap for enlargement, as a “real signal to Russia” and “the only way to end the war in Donbas.” The Ukrainian government reiterated its case that a roadmap for quick membership is a necessary step to confront aggression and autocracy in Europe. Insofar as Georgia is concerned, it remains a longstanding and highly ambitious NATO contributor, in the words of President Salome Zurabishvili earlier in the year, and “has shown its dedication to reaching the ultimate objective of integration.” Antony Blinken, then in the process of confirmation as secretary of state, said that NATO’s door remains open to Georgia if it meets the requirements.

In responding to Russia’s intimidation, Western countries voiced strong support for Ukraine, while the NATO secretary general declared that only NATO would decide on enlargement. However, the unfortunate truth is that NATO will not offer membership to Ukraine and Georgia any time soon. The reluctance of the alliance to do so is based on sound geopolitical reasoning and a sober evaluation of the two countries’ limited progress on much-needed reforms. NATO should not officially close its “open door” to new members, but Ukraine and Georgia remaining outside the alliance is ultimately the best policy for NATO given the circumstances."

thanks for the cliff notes from the video, as videos have proven disastrous to my well-being. sorry to have been so long, but with visitors, phone calls and RL chores, it happens more often than i'd like.

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The response to that 2014 Crimea poll is always "It was done at the point of Russians rifles." or something like that.
To which I respond, so what about the 1991 Crimean referendum?

A referendum on sovereignty was held in the Crimean Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR on 20 January 1991[1] two months before the 1991 All-Union referendum. Voters were asked whether they wanted to re-establish the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, which had been abolished in 1945. The proposal was approved by 94% of voters.

That's 94% of people in Crimea wanted independence from Ukraine.
But wait, that's not all. Because Crimea didn't get independence from Ukraine, the issue didn't go away. They took a vote in 1994 as well.

But in early 1994, after a polarising election campaign, Crimeans elected as their President a strongly pro-Russian candidate, Yuriy Meshkov. A power struggle between the Ukrainian parliament and the Crimean parliament commenced. Another Crimean referendum in March 1994 asked three questions: ‘1.3 million voted, 78.4% of whom supported greater autonomy from Ukraine, 82.8% supported allowing dual Russian-Ukrainian citizenship, and 77.9% favored giving Crimean presidential decrees the force of law’. Yet after more political turbulence – with the Crimean parliament voting to oust Meshkov in September – in March 1995 the Ukrainian parliament unilaterally abolished the post of President of Crimea, and scrapped the Crimean constitution.

So the opinion of people in Crimea is extremely clear. As is the position of people in Ukraine and people in Russia.

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@gjohnsit

Crimea, an ethnic Russian state and the permanent home of the Russian Navy for 250 years, hated being attached to Ukraine. This happened in part to expedite services and utilities to the region after the Russian infrastructure was destroyed following WWII.

Self determination is the foundational Human Right, and it applies to a society, as well.

Of course, under that theory, the South would have been permitted to secede from the Union. If only they had won! What a better world this would be.

Europe would have forced them out of slavery. They were already sanctioned into submission and couldn't trade. Then, the United States would not have existed and grown into a fat insane bully. Most importantly, people could have exercised self-determination and lived without clashing ideologies and twisted religions and generations of severe mental illness from the compromises, corruption, and angst. A Left Wing could have formed in North America. People might have had fair labor laws and — for the first time ever — basic Human Rights.

Perhaps it is not too late....

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
lotlizard's picture

@Pluto's Republic  
and skill at “11-dimensional chess,” having negotiated a peaceful secession that avoided civil war — outsmarting the Confederates, whom world opinion soon forced to abandon slavery a bit later anyway…

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wendy davis's picture

@gjohnsit

both new to me, iirc.

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CB's picture

to counter Five-Eyes' MSM reporting of negative relationship between Tatars and Russians.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UpJGFIEf_E]

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd7E7soBOH4]

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enhydra lutris's picture

@CB @CB
from Crimea in 1944, and allowed them to return in the 1980s. A brief look at Tatar history, as opposed to any particular nation's history, such as Russia or Turkey is informative.

Take a look at what Ukraine was up top in WWII and if they let any of those people they persecuted return, oh, that's right, they exterminated them.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

CB's picture

@enhydra lutris
The Crimean Tatars and the Turkic Nogai people were responsible for one of the largest slave trades in history starting about 1450. It is estimated they took about one million Slavic Christians as slaves until Catherine the Great put an end to the practice by annexing Crimea in 1783.

The slaves that the Tatars shipped to the Ottoman Turk slave markets were never allowed to return.

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enhydra lutris's picture

@CB

very much more aligned with the Turks who were on and off Russia's forever enemy than with the Russians, "Crimeans" or anybody else. They are Turkic speaking peoples who had plenty of run-ins with an assortment of other people and, iirc, at one point wanted to create their own nation. I have just enough background wrt that whole area and its history to get myself in trouble. I am beyond the "Nevsky held off the Germans while the Muscovites dealt with the Mongols, then there were Tsars, wars with Turkey and European wars, followed by the commies and then whatever they have now" stage, but not too much deeper and wider, I got lost in all the Kahns, Kahnates and cognates Kaganates, Varangian trade routes and all that.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

lotlizard's picture

@enhydra lutris  
on maps of that era and this feeling comes over me like, “Is that where Game of Thrones spilled over into the real world and sorta became part of it?” (shudder)

Yeah, and mebbe in Iceland they keep dragons in underground caves and the volcanoes are just the cover story when outsiders notice the flames and smoke — no, no, that’s ridiculous — or is it? (scare chord)

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Pluto's Republic's picture

@enhydra lutris

Not the Chinese Uyghurs, but the head-chopping Uyghurs who transformed into ISIS and slaughtered the Syrian people for the United States.

(They now pose as exiled Chinese Uyghurs on Zoom. It's a living.)

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____________________

The political system is what it is because the People are who they are. — Plato
wendy davis's picture

@CB

rights violations', amigo. at least the short one. cliffs notes for the 25 minute one?

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enhydra lutris's picture

other imperialists when they achieve a result desired by said imperialists on other grounds and for other purposes.

If one wishes to really look into Crimea and the Ukraine, one has to start at least as early as the Kievan Rus. In the end one finds Ukraine is greatly a German outpost whilst Crimea largely retained its Rus culture and ties. True, the history of the region was not always peaceful and loving, but if you are looking at the structural reality on the ground, Crimea is far more Rus than German and Ukraine is far more German than Rus.

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

wendy davis's picture

@enhydra lutris

Plebescites are only respected by the US, NATO and other imperialists when they achieve a result desired by said imperialists on other grounds and for other purposes.

of course they're russian at heart, both by language and culture. the donbass are, to, i believe. the grisliest 40 deaths in the trade unions buildings in odessa, in 2014, smoke fire, and the crimean elderly babushkas screaming and running away!

so many of you here know and can narrate history and geopolitcs at once; thank you. as my neuro-cognitive synapses mis-fire more each day, what i'm left with it...images.

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wendy davis's picture

@wendy davis

if india ever held the long-promised plebicite on kashmir, we can guess how that one would be accepted, eh?

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enhydra lutris's picture

@wendy davis

be well and have a good one

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

wendy davis's picture

@enhydra lutris

i'll try to have a good one, #YouToo. i'd been too frazzled to check.

eva bartlett commits journalism in the donbass, ukraine, 10/12/2019, C99%

turns out i'd also embedded this gut-wrenching video:

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Just after Crimea returned to her Russia I was in Moscow. Waitresses and waiters had on tee shirts with the words "our Crimea". The return is enormously popular and fully supported in Russia, as it is in Crimea. Zelenski is asking that the people of Crimea, Russians, be forced to live under a Ukrainian government which hates them and their language. They want the land, but not the people. You know where that is going to go! The thought of this should be unconscionable to all feeling people, but apparently is not a problem for the political class in the US. The US and Ukraine were the only two nations to vote against an anti Nazi resolution in the UN. So who are we?

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Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

wendy davis's picture

@The Wizard

'who are the political class in the US?' at least those of us who fight the Empire and for a multi-polar planet are not they, no?

they also fight against being ruled by neo-nazis.

thank you, Wiz.

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