10  Crimea annexation

Abstract

Green men are eco? Soldiers without insignia are up to no good! Why the annexation of Crimea was an invasion of Crimea.

Myth

Crimea was not annexed but peacefully reunited with Russia.

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Truth
  • Crimea was militarily invaded by Russia.
  • The annexation was illegal and violates international law.
  • The inhabitants of Crimea were not Russians, but wanted to be Ukrainians.

For the history of Crimea see Chapter 9.

10.1 Military invasion

When asked about the people who seized the buildings of the Crimean parliament and installed Russian flags on them on 27 February 2014, Putin replied that those were “local self-defense units.”1

In fact, “the Crimean local defense units” concerned about alleged threats from Ukrainian ultranationalists never existed.

The film titled “Crimea: The Way Home,” which was aired on Russian state television in March 2015, made clear that the “little green men” who took control of the Crimean government buildings, airports, and other facilities were Russian soldiers.2 The Simferopol airport, where Putin’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, had said there were no Russian troops operating3, was taken over by marines from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol4.

10.2 Illegal annexation

20 February 2014 as the official date of the beginning of the annexation of Crimea is not even denied by the Russians as it is indicated on the campaign medal “For the Return of Crimea” of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.5

The then Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych fled Kyiv only on the next day.6 And two days after the start of the Russian operation to annex the peninsula, on 22 February 2014, the Ukrainian parliament passed a resolution that established that Yanukovych had removed himself from fulfilling his constitutional duties.7

10.3 Against Crimeans

No organized separatist movement existed in Crimea before its occupation in 2014. According to the results of the nationwide Ukrainian referendum in 1991, 54.19% of voters in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea voted for the declaration of independence, and 57% in the city of Sevastopol8.

A poll by the International Republican Institute in May 2013 found that 53% of the residents of Crimea wanted to stay “Autonomy within Ukraine,” 12% were for “Crimean Tatar autonomy within Ukraine,” 2% for “Common oblast of Ukraine,” and 23% voted for “Crimea should be separated and given to Russia.”9

Crimea Resident Survey 2013

On 26 February 2014, at the protests near the building of the Crimean parliament 4000–5000 Crimean Tatars and supporters of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement faced 600–700 supporters of pro-Russian organizations and the Russian Unity Party. On the next day, the buildings of the Crimean parliament and the Council of Ministers were seized by the Russian special forces.10

When Moscow’s illegal takeover of Crimea was already completed, the Russian government tried to legitimize annexation through the pseudo referendum. It was unrecognized by the international community through UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine”,11 supported by 100 UN member states. The overwhelming majority of international and human rights organizations, including the United Nations,12 the OSCE,13 NATO,14 as well as Human Rights Watch,15 have rejected the referendum.

  1. Vladimir Putin answered journalists’ questions on the situation in Ukraine. (2014, March 4). President of Russia. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/20366↩︎

  2. Schreck, C. (2019, February 26). From “Not Us” To “Why Hide It?”: How Russia Denied Its Crimea Invasion, Then Admitted It. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/from-not-us-to-why-hide-it-how-russia-denied-its-crimea-invasion-then-admitted-it/29791806.html↩︎

  3. “No Russian troops” in Crimea airport says EU’s Russian Ambassador . (n.d.). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://youtu.be/calO_Z1F6D4?si=uYkFRbwjJGONJUpy↩︎

  4. Schreck, C. (2019, February 26). From “Not Us” To “Why Hide It?”: How Russia Denied Its Crimea Invasion, Then Admitted It. RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/from-not-us-to-why-hide-it-how-russia-denied-its-crimea-invasion-then-admitted-it/29791806.html↩︎

  5. Medal “For the Return of Crimea” - Wikipedia. (2023, July 16). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_%22For_the_Return_of_Crimea%22↩︎

  6. Frizell, S. (2014, February 22). Ukraine Protestors Seize Kiev As President Flees | TIME.com. TIME.com. https://world.time.com/2014/02/22/ukraines-president-flees-protestors-capture-kiev/↩︎

  7. I. U. (2014, February 22). Rada removes Yanukovych from office, schedules new elections for May 25. Interfax-Ukraine. https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/192030.html↩︎

  8. Information about the results of the all-Ukrainian referendum. (2019, September 4). The Central State Archive of Higher Authorities and Administration of Ukraine. https://tsdavo.gov.ua/gmedia/5-1-28-144-6-jpg↩︎

  9. Public Opinion Survey Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea May 16 – 30, 2013. (n.d.). In IRI. International Republican Institute Baltic Surveys Ltd./The Gallup Organization Rating Group Ukraine with funding from the United States Agency for International Development. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://www.iri.org/wp-content/uploads/legacy/iri.org/2013%20October%207%20Survey%20of%20Crimean%20Public%20Opinion,%20May%2016-30,%202013.pdf↩︎

  10. Higgins, A., & Erlan, S. (2014, February 27). Gunmen Seize Government Buildings in Crimea. The New York Times↩︎

  11. Territorial Integrity of Ukraine : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly. (2014, April 1). United Nations Digital Library System. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/767883?ln=en↩︎

  12. Putin Stages ‘Votes’ to Annex Occupied Ukrainian Territories. (2022, September 23). Bloomberg. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-23/russia-stages-referendums-to-annex-occupied-ukraine-lands↩︎

  13. OSCE heads condemn plan to hold illegal “referenda” in occupied territories of Ukraine. (2022, September 20). OSCE. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://www.osce.org/chairmanship/526432↩︎

  14. Macron slams planned referendums in Russia-controlled regions in Ukraine. (2022, September 20). France 24. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220920-live-ukrainian-soldiers-cheer-counteroffensive-s-swift-advance-into-donbas↩︎

  15. Gorbunova, Y. (2022, September 30). Fictitious Annexation Follows “Voting” at Gunpoint. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/30/fictitious-annexation-follows-voting-gunpoint↩︎