Wednesday, March 19, 2014

2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine

I thought you might be interested in reading the English Wikipedia version of the Ukraine Crisis and Russian Intervention that is likely more up to date now than the last one I quoted.

2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine

2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2014 Russian military invasion of Ukraine
Part of the 2014 Crimean crisis
Crimea crisis map.PNG
Crimea (black), Rest of Ukraine (light green) and Russia (light red) in Europe
  Republic of Crimea (disputed by Ukraine and the Russian Federation)
  Ukraine
  Russia
Date 27 February 2014 (de facto)[1] – present
Location Republic of Crimea
Kherson Oblast, Ukraine[2]
Status Ongoing
  • Russia takes effective military control over Crimea, overpowering aerial and naval fleets[3]
  • Covert operations conducted by the Russian special forces (Spetsnaz) and proclaimed "self-defense" forces without identification signs[4]
  • Russia-Ukraine borders are patrolled by the Russian army until 4 March[5]
  • Russian military entered the Kherson Oblast on 8 March 2014[2]
  • Ukraine sealed border with pro-Russian region of Transnistria on 15 March[6]
Belligerents
Russia Russia
Crimea Crimea 		Ukraine Ukraine[10]
Commanders and leaders
Pres. Vladimir Putin
PM Dmitry Medvedev
Gen. Sergey Shoygu
Gen. Valery Gerasimov
Lt.Gen. Igor Sergun
V.Adm. Aleksandr Vitko
Sergey Aksyonov		 Pres. Oleksandr Turchynov
PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Adm. Ihor Tenyukh
Lt.Gen. Mykhailo Kutsyn
R.Adm. Serhiy Hayduk Surrendered
Units involved
Medium emblem of the Вооружённые Силы Российской Федерации.svg Russian Armed Forces:[17][18]
Russian 76th Airborne Division patch.svg 76th Airborne Division
Russian 31st Airborne Brigade patch.svg 31st Airborne Brigade
18th Mechanized Brigade Sleeve Insignia of the Russian Baltic Fleet.svg Baltic Fleet[19]
Sleeve Insignia of the Russian Northern Fleet.svg Northern Fleet
Sleeve Insignia of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.svg Black Sea Fleet:
Generalstaff central dep.svg GRU Operators
 Emblem of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.svg Armed Forces of Ukraine:
Emblem of the Ukrainian Navy.svg Ukrainian Navy
  • 36th Coastal Defense Brigade[22]
Gerb of State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.gif Ukrainian Sea Guard
MVS of Ukraine.gif Ukrainian police
Герб Внутрішніх Військ.png Internal Troops
NGU command.jpgNational Guard of Ukraine
Strength
Crimean Force: 25,000–30,000[23][24]
  • Black Sea Fleet: 11,000 (including Marines)
  • 4 Squadrons of fighter aircraft (18 planes each)
Reinforcements:Between 16,000[22][25][26][27] and 42,000[28] troops
 Crimean garrison:
~ 14,500 Troops[29]
10 warships
Casualties and losses
1 pro-Russian militiaman killed[30] 1 killed[31][32]
2 wounded[10][33]
50+ captured[34][33]
3 defected
Some sources claimed that beginning on 27 February 2014, pro-Russian troops without insignia seized control of the majority of the Crimean peninsula in the southeastern area of Ukraine[citation needed] although Russian authorities decline such accusations and no clear evidence has been obtained.[35] The region has fallen into a crisis as a result of the uncertain outcome of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, and Russia's apparent seizure of this strategic peninsula. Russia’s invasion of Crimea is largely seen as a violation of international law.[36]
The Crimean Peninsula is Russia's strategic link to the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and the Balkans.[37] The Russian government maintains that its involvement in Crimea seeks to protect ethnic Russians in the region against Ukrainian authorities.[a][39][40] Russia does not recognize the newly installed interim government in Ukraine, instead considering now-ousted-President Viktor Yanukovych Ukraine's legitimate leader.[b] Russia states that Yanukovych asked Russia to intervene in Ukraine militarily to maintain peace and order.[40][41] Russia claims that its armed forces are not involved in the present stand-off, and also asserts that use of force for the purposes of humanitarian intervention in Ukraine, has not yet occurred.[42]
The Ukrainian response so far has been muted as its leaders seek diplomatic solutions,[citation needed] with military reaction on their part limited to a mobilization of Ukraine's armed forces and reserves. Russia, however, has vowed that its troops will stay until the political situation has been "normalised".[43] Internally, Crimea held a referendum on 16 March 2014 on whether Crimea should join the Russian Federation or remain part of Ukraine with the autonomy it had in 1992.[44] The two options on the referendum both imply Russian control of the peninsula.[45] The events have caused alarm among the Crimean Tatar ethnic group, whose members were deported en masse to Central Asia in 1944 under orders from Joseph Stalin, claiming a huge death toll.[46][47]
At the international level, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Canada, Japan, Turkey, Australia and the European Union condemned Russia, accusing it of breaking international law and violating Ukrainian sovereignty.[48][49][50][51][52][53][14][15][16][13][54] While initially China neither publicly supported nor criticized Russia while showing support for Ukraine's territorial integrity,[55][56] it later warned that it "doesn't want" sanctions against Russia.[57] India considers that Russia has legitimate interests in Crimea.[58] Russian President called the Indian Prime Minister to explain the situation, after annexation of Crimea, where Prime Minister Singh "emphasized the consistent position India has on the issues of unity and territorial integrity of countries".[59]
Russia has denied accusations of a military intervention in Crimea. In Vladimir Putin's words, the world has not "heard of any intervention without a single shot being fired".[60]

Background

Main article: 2014 Crimean crisis
See also: Euromaidan and 2014 Ukrainian revolution
On 22 February 2014 Ukrainian protesters overthrew the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych after months of protests. The opposition took control of the capital city Kiev and the government district, soon after President Yanukovych left for Kharkiv to attend a summit of south-eastern regions,[61] the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) voted to restore the 2004 version of the Constitution of Ukraine[citation needed] and remove Yanukovych from power however the impeachment procedure, as defined by Ukrainian constitution Article 111, was not followed.[62] President Yanukovych refused to resign and politicians from Ukraine's east and south regions, including Crimea, declared continuing loyalty to Yanukovych.[63]
On 23 February, following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a bill to repeal the law on minority languages which includes Russian.[64] In so doing, Russian-speaking regions were infuriated that the new parliament desired to make Ukrainian the sole state language at all levels, seemingly pressing ahead with Ukrainian nationalism.[65] A few days later, however, on 1 March 2014, Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov vetoed the bill, effectively stopping its enactment.[66][source needs translation]
In the meantime, on the morning of 27 February, Berkut units from Crimea and other regions of Ukraine (dissolved by the decree of 25 February) seized checkpoints on the Isthmus of Perekop and Chonhar peninsula.[67][source needs translation][68] According to Ukrainian MP Hennadiy Moskal, former Chief of Crimean police, they had armoured personnel carriers, grenade launchers, assault rifles, machine guns and other weapons.[67] Since then they control all land traffic between Crimea and continental Ukraine.[67]
Also on the early morning of 27 February, men in military uniform in Simferopol, the capital city of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, seized the Crimean parliamentary building and the Council of Ministers building and replaced the Ukrainian flag with the Russian flag.[1] They ousted the prime minister appointed by the President of Ukraine and installed pro-Russian politician, Sergey Aksyonov, as Crimea's prime minister.[69] Aksyonov's Russian Unity party took just 4 percent of the votes in the 2010 elections.[citation needed] Aksyonov illegitimately declared himself in charge of local military and law enforcement.[70] On 1 March, the acting president of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, decreed the Crimean legislature's appointment of Aksyonov as unconstitutional, as the position of prime minister is appointed by the president of Ukraine, and not elected by parliament.[citation needed] The Crimean legislature has declared its intention to hold a referendum on greater autonomy from Kiev on 25 May 2014, a move which Hatidzhe Mamutova, the head of the League of Crimean-Tatar Women, called illegal.[71]
Councilors in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, home to the Russian and Ukrainian Black Sea naval fleets, selected a Russian citizen Aleksei Chalyi as mayor, as pro-Russian demonstrators chanted "a Russian mayor for a Russian city". Furthermore, Sevastopol's police chief said he would refuse orders from Kiev.[72] In Sevastopol, Kerch, and other Crimean cities, pro-Russian demonstrators pulled down the flag of Ukraine and replaced it with the flag of Russia in clashes with city officials.[73][74]
Russian units began moving into Crimea almost immediately after the press conference of former president Yanukovych held on 28 February 2014 in Rostov-on-Don, near the eastern border of Ukraine, where he called for Putin to "restore order" in Ukraine. During the conference Yanukovych insisted that military action was "unacceptable" and that he would not request Russian military intervention.[75][76] On 4 March 2014 Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin presented a photocopy of a letter signed by Victor Yanukovich on 1 March 2014 asking to use the Russian armed forces to restore the rule of law, peace, order, stability and protection of the population of Ukraine.[77] Aksyonov also appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide assistance in ensuring the peace in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Both houses of the Russian legislature (Federal Assembly) voted on 1 March 2014 to give the rights to Vladimir Putin to use Russian troops in Crimea.[78][79]

Strategic importance

See also: Russian Black Sea Fleet, Natural gas in Ukraine, and Russia–Ukraine gas disputes
2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine is located in Autonomous Republic Crimea
Kacha
Kacha
Port of Sevastopol, Russia
Port of Sevastopol,
Russia
CRIMEA
CRIMEA
Krasnodar Krai, Russia
Krasnodar Krai,
Russia
Dzhankoy ("Vostok")
Dzhankoy ("Vostok")
Location of the Port of Sevastopol and Kacha in relation to Crimea and Russia. Newly stationed soldiers have been posted in Dzhankoy,[citation needed] a major transportation hub in the Crimean peninsula where two major railways and two major European highways pass. Dzhankoy is also home to many industrial factories and is considered an entry point to Crimea.[80]
Geopolitics of the Crimean autonomous Republic, March 2014.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the Crimean peninsula with only the Strait of Kerch separating it from Russia to the east by a short 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). Crimea is a part of Ukraine but, as an autonomous republic, it has its own constitution. According to the 2001 census, 58% of the two million residents of Crimea are ethnic Russians, 24% are ethnic Ukrainians, and 12% are Crimean Tatars.[81] As tensions escalated in the region, Russia intervened under the justification that it must "protect Russian civilians and military in Ukraine".[a]
The 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. Russia is allowed to maintain up to 25,000 troops, 24 artillery systems (with a caliber smaller than 100 mm), 132 armored vehicles, and 22 military planes, on the Crimean and Sevastopol. The Russian Black Sea fleet is allowed to stay in Crimea until 2042.[82]
At the same time, the Port of Sevastopol and the town of Kacha are located in Sevastopol, a city in the southwestern area of the peninsula that does not belong to Crimea administratively. Both locations hold key strategic value for Russia, economically and militarily.[83] The Port of Sevastopol, which Russia currently leases from Ukraine, is considered a key hold for maritime routes between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, and by extension the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean.[84] It is also one of the few warm deepwater ports in the Black Sea available to Russia. As the Ukrainian revolution unfolded—and as the newly installed Ukrainian government began to distance itself from Russia—Russia felt that its access to the port and its military bases in the Crimean peninsula were in jeopardy.[85] Ensuring access to the port and Russia's military bases in the Crimean peninsula are considered one of the main factors that sparked Russia's military intervention.[85] On the other hand, the town of Kacha serves as military headquarters for Russia's 25th Independent Anti-submarine Helicopter Regiment (25th AHR) and the 917th Independent Composite Air Regiment (917th ICAR) of the Black Sea Fleet Naval Air Force.

Petroleum resources

Crimea also possesses several natural gas fields both onshore and offshore, all connected to Ukraine's pipeline system.[86] The inland fields are located in Chornomorske and Dzhankoy, while offshore fields are located in the western coast in the Black Sea and in the northeastern coast in the Azov Sea:[87]
Name Type Location Reserves
Dzhankoyske gas field Onshore Dzhankoy
Golitsyna gas field Offshore Black Sea
Karlavske gas field Onshore Chornomorske
Krym gas field Offshore Black Sea
Odessa gas field[88] Offshore Black Sea 21 billion m3
Schmidta gas field Offshore Black Sea
Shtormvaya gas field Offshore Black Sea
Strilkove gas field Offshore Sea of Azov
The republic also possesses two oil fields: one onshore, the Serebryankse oil field in Rozdolne, and one offshore, the Subbotina oil field in the Black Sea.
Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed from The Guardian reported on 6 March that, "U.S. oil and gas majors like Chevron and Exxon are increasingly encroaching on [Moscow-based] Gazprom's regional monopoly, undermining Russia's energy hegemony over Europe."[89] He would then assert that, "competition to dominate Eurasian energy corridors, are behind Russian militarism and U.S. interference."[89]

Timeline of military events in Ukraine

See also: Timeline of the 2014 Crimean crisis

Crimea

See also: List of military units in the 2014 Crimean crisis
Unidentified soldiers on patrol at Simferopol International Airport, 28 February 2014

February

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered urgent military exercises to test the combat readiness of his armed forces across western Russia.[90] From that day onwards, there were reports that Russian soldiers had established a checkpoint between the major Crimean cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol.[91][92]
Crimea saw a sudden increase in armed presence, with militiamen dressed in camouflage but lacking any distinctive markings appearing all over the region. While president Putin denied that Russian troops stationed in Crimea left their barracks, claiming these men were "pro-Russian local self-defence forces,"[93] the CNN caught on video one such soldier admitting he was Russian.[94] The presence of Russian troops is acknowledged by new Crimean leader Sergei Aksyenov.[70] The troops were subsequently identified, based on their battle dress and equipment, as belonging to the 45th Spetsnaz Regiment,[citation needed] which has previously been deployed to conflicts such as Georgia and Kyrgyzstan.[95]
Soldiers suspected of being Russians were seen patrolling Simferopol International Airport and Sevastopol International Airport, while Western and independent media reported Russian troop movements in Crimea, including Russian military helicopters moving into the peninsula and Russian Army trucks approaching Simferopol, the Crimean capital.[94][96] Ukrainian officials said Russian forces took over a military airbase in Sevastopol, landed troops at another airbase,[97] and surrounded a coast guard base.[98]
Part of a series on the
Crimean Crisis
of 2014
Map of Crimea
Ukraine Republic of Crimea Russia

March 2014

By March 2, Ukrainian military bases in Crimea were under the control of these unidentified soldiers.[93] Soldiers infiltrated the radio-technical company at the Maganome Cape near Feodosiya;[99][100][not in citation given] the 55th Anti-Air Defense in Yevpatoriya had been seized.[99] Soldiers without identification, blocked the 36th Ukrainian Coastal Defense unit (Ukrainian Navy) in Perevalne (between Simferopol and Alushta) and demanded that the besieged Ukrainian Marines surrender,[101] and 400 Russian special operations troops arrived by the Russian Black Sea Fleet BDK "Azov".[102][unreliable source?] Russian Special Operation soldiers attempted to disarm the 191st Training unit of Ukrainian Navy in Sevastopol;[103][unreliable source?][104] there also was an attempt by another 30 soldiers of Russia to take over the 39th Training unit of Ukrainian Navy (Sevastopol).[105][106] The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine acknowledged seizure of its headquarters of the Azov-Black Sea regional administration and the Simferopol border detachment by the armed soldiers.[107][108] The Crimea Front took over the building of Trade Unions in Simferopol and under the flag of Russia announced that they protect the Constitution of Ukraine;[109][not in citation given] Soldiers without identification blocked the Ukrainian military installation А-0669 in Kerch.[110]
March 2, 2014
  • Ukrainian Navy Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky officially defected and pledged allegiance to Crimea.[111] According to MP Yuri Syrotyuk, Berezovsky had already been dismissed before his defection[112] for ordering his troops not resist the Russian forces in case of blockade or isolation.[112] Ukrainian units which refused to surrender informed the acting Minister of Defense Ihor Tenyukh, who replaced Berezovsky with Rear Admiral Serhiy Hayduk.[112] Internal Troops of Ukraine in Simferopol refused to lay down their arms and side with the Russians.[113] By 3 March 2014, Russian troops captured the Ukrainian Border Guard base in Balaklava after repeated assaults.[34][not in citation given] There was reportedly one occasion when the wives of Ukrainian soldiers requested that the Russian soldiers not provoke the Ukrainian military.[114] Russia vowed troops would stay until the political situation has been "normalised".[43] Ukrainian media claimed at around 21:00 (LST), five vehicles with soldiers without insignia broke through the border checkpoint "Krym-Kuban" at the ferry crossing "Krym-Kavkaz" in Kerch.[115][116][117] The same day in Sevastopol, the crew of the command ship Slavutych thwarted an attempt to hijack the vessel by a boat manned by unidentified armed personnel.[118]
Request ("ultimatum") by Council of Ministers of Crimea to Ukrainian 55th Anti-Aircraft Artillery regiment in Yevpatoria to lay down arms under control of Russian Black Sea Fleet for the period of Crimean referendum
Russian Tigrs and Kamaz trucks near Ukrainian military base in Perevalne
Unmarked soldiers guarding a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne, March 9
  • Ukrainian defence sources alleged that the commander of Russian Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral Aleksandr Vitko had issued an official ultimatum to all Ukrainian military servicemen to surrender by 05:00 (LST) 4 March 2014 or face a military confrontation.[119][120] These allegations were denied by the Russian foreign ministry[121] and a representative of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters.[122][123] The deadline came and went without incident or attempt to storm.[124] A Ukrainian human rights group claimed that Russian soldiers were openly standing on the perimeter of the Ukrainian hamlet Perevalne.[125]
March 6, 2014
  • Russian sailors scuttled the decommissioned cruiser Ochakov at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay in western Crimea as a blockship, in an attempt to prevent Ukrainian navy ships from gaining access to the Black Sea.[126] The ocean-going tug Shakhter was also scuttled some hours later at the same location.[127]
March 7, 2014
  • On March 7, Ukraine claimed armed men attempted to storm a Ukrainian military base in Sevastopol by ramming trucks through the main gate of the base. However international media who visited the scene, said the gates did not appear to have been driven through, and there was no sign that the base had been seized.[128][129] Also, another blockship, the former Black Sea Fleet rescue/diving support vessel BM-416 (VM-416) was scuttled near the Ochakov.[130]
March 8, 2014
  • Unidentified individuals opened fire on an unarmed aircraft manned by members of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine near the Crimean city of Armyansk.[citation needed] No casualties were reported.[131] Earlier, members of the OSCE mission were prevented from entering Crimea at the same spot.[132][not in citation given]
March 9, 2014
March 10, 2014
  • Russian forces captured a motorized infantry battalion at Bakhchysarai, a missile base at Chornomorskoe and the main military hospital in Crimea. They had occupied thirteen military posts by that date.[134][135]
12 March
  • At evening, Russian forces seized an electronic surveillance outpost at the village of Olenevka. The unarmed Ukrainian personnel kept inside the compound, after dismantling the main power station.[136]
13 March
  • At noon, a recoinnasance aircraft of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine was fired at by Russian armoured vehicles near the border city of Armyansk. It was the second incident of this kind in the last five days.[137] Earlier, an unidentified fourth Russian vessel was sunk by the Russian navy as a blockship at Donuzlav Bay.[138]
14 March
On 14 March, the Russian amphibious assault ship Yamal landed troops, trucks and at least one armoured personnel carrier at Kazachaya bay near Sevastopol.[139] Russian high-tech corporation Rostec claims that Russian troops used equipment from the company to capture a US MQ-5B drone over Crimea, after jamming radio controlers signals to the unmanned aircraft. The report says that the UAV "belonged to the 66th American Reconnaissance Brigade, based in Bavaria".[140] A Pentagon official denied the report on the basis that no US drone were flying missions over Crimea, and that the MQ-5B would be too basic and outdated to carried out such high-profile operation.[141] Rostec itself later officially denied that the Avtobaza complex, a company product, had been used on Crimean territory, thus contradicting its own former claim. [142][143]
16 March
On March 16, the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries agreed to a truce regarding besieged Crimean bases through 21 March, according to the Ukrainian ministry of defense. The Ukrainian military began to replenish supplies at its Crimean facilities, according to the Ukrainian ministry of defense while Crimean officials said the bases' troops would be given safe passage out; the bases were expected to be taken over at the ceasefire's end.[144] Earlier, Russian troops planted anti-tank mines around a Ukrainian marines battalion at Feodosia.[145]
18 March, Simferopol Incident
Main article: Simferopol Incident
One Ukrainian soldier and one pro-Russian soldier were killed and several wounded during an assault by unknown gunmen of the Ukrainian Army's Topographic Centre in Simferopol. The remainder of the Ukrainian troops were disarmed and taken prisoners. Crimean police later said that both the pro-Russian and Ukrainian forces had been fired upon from a single location. Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused the pro-Russian soldiers of committing a war crime.[146][147][30]
19 March
Pro-Russian militiamen took over Ukrainian Navy's headquarters at Sevastopol, and captured Ukrainian Navy's commander-in-chief, Serhiy Hayduk. Ukrainian Defense ministry reported another incident in a naval base at Novo Ozyorne, where a tractor rammed the compound's gates and blocked the entrance.[148]

Kherson Oblast

Chonhar village on the map
  • Ukrainian media claimed that on or prior to 8 March, Russian soldiers entered the territory of Chonhar village in Henichesk Raion of Kherson Oblast,[149] and that they placed mines and boundary pillars.[149][150] Chonhar is several kilometers north of the middle land connection to Crimea, and is now guarded by a Russian checkpoint.[150]
  • On 7 March, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission attempted to enter Crimea via Chonhar, but was blocked at the checkpoint.[151]
  • On 12 March, members of the Security Service of Ukraine claimed to have captured a Russian military intelligence team which had infiltrated into Kherson from Crimea.[152][153]
  • On 15 March, the Ukrainian Minister of Defence claimed that the Ukrainian military repelled an attempt by Russian forces to enter the Arabat Spit portion that belongs to the Kherson Oblast adjacent to Crimea.[154][155] The Ukrainian military supposedly used aircraft, ground forces, and its aeromobile battalion in the operation.[156] It was reported that 40 Russian soldiers had been landed by helicopter near the village of Strilkove, and that they were later supported by three armoured vehicles and 60 troops landed from another six helicopters.[157][158][159] A Ukrainian border guard spokesman estimated that there were as many as 120 Russian soldiers in the area.[160] The Russian troops claimed they sought to protect a Chornomornaftogaz gas pumping station from possible terrorists actions.[157][158] Some reports claimed that the Russian troops remained in the area.[158]

Other troop movements

  • The head of Chernihiv regional council announced that the Russians were conducting military movements on the Chernihiv Oblast segment of the State Border of Ukraine on 2 March.[161] The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on 3 March that Russia had started to amass troops on several segments of the eastern borders with Ukraine (Kharkiv, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts).[162] Later, the Luhansk border detachment dismissed those claims as a disinformation by media.[163] On 3 March, Russia deployed 3,500 troops and heavy equipment on the Baltic coast in Kaliningrad Oblast near Polish and Lithuanian borders,[164] causing Lithuania and Poland, who are members of NATO, to ask for protection against a Russian invasion.[165]
  • On 8 March, Ukrainian border guards began a special deployment along the border with Moldova, in the Transdnistria area, in order to prevent any provocations by pro-Russian activists in Odessa Oblast.[167]
  • On 13 March, the Russian Defence Ministry announced a buildup of Russian troops in regions along Ukraine's eastern borders, confirming at least some earlier reports.[168] "Heavy training" involving over 10,000 troops and large amounts of equipment took place in the Rostov, Belgorod, and Kursk Oblasts.[168] The drills were not announced in advance as is the norm.[citation needed] Ukrainian officials claimed the assembled force included 80,000 soldiers and several hundred each of tanks, planes, and field artillery.[169] Following the death of a 22-year-old man in clashes between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian protesters in Donetsk, Russia declared its readiness to intervene in Eastern Ukraine to protect ethnic Russians there.[170]

Non-military events

USA

On March 4,2014, the U.S.A pledges $1 billion in aid to Ukraine.[171]

Russia

  • Before the presence, Russia recalled its ambassador to Ukraine for consultations.[172] Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly told US President Barack Obama, that Russia was acting to protect ethnic Russians and Russian-speakers in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.[173] He also drew a parallel between Crimea and Kosovo.[174] Aleksei Pushkov, the Chairman of the Russian State Duma committee on Foreign Affairs, said that the majority of people in Crimea should be given the right of self-determination. He added that he thought the Crimean Parliament's planned referendum on 30 March[70] (on greater Crimean autonomy, according to the BBC Russian-language service)[175] was a much more legitimate way to achieve political change than demonstrations on Kiev's Maidan Square.[175]
  • At a meeting to protest against the Russian intervention in Ukraine that took place near to the Ministry of Defense building in Moscow, 28 protesters were arrested by the police.[177] Andrei Yurov, an expert of the Moscow Helsinki Group, said that the decision of the Council of the Federation allowing President Putin to use military force within the territory of Ukraine was taken on the basis of unconfirmed information about the "victims" among citizens in Crimea.[178]

In Crimea

See also: 2014 Crimean crisis and Timeline of the 2014 Crimean crisis
  • The Crimean Prime Minister Aksyonov asserted control over all security forces in Crimea and appealed to Russia for assistance in maintaining peace and tranquility.[179] The position of Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Ukraine;[180] On 1 March, acting president Turchynov decried the appointment of Sergei Aksyonov as the head of the government of Crimea as unconstitutional.[181]
  • The chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Refat Chubarov, expressed concern that Tatars in Crimea would be threatened as a result of the Russian takeover. He said Crimea is part of Ukraine and warned of a collapse in "world order" if Russia succeeds in separating Crimea from Ukraine.[182]
  • On 4 March Prime Minister Aksyonov announced the creation of a Crimean navy and Ministry of Defence. He also stated that three air defence units and over 5000 personnel pledged allegiance to Crimea [183][184]
  • The Ukrainian government claimed that 3,500 Russians had traveled to Ukraine, particularly Crimea, to take part in the pro-Russian demonstrations.[187]

Pro-Russian protests in other parts of Ukraine

Main article: 2014 Pro-Russian protests in Ukraine

Other military actions

Russia's actions increased tensions in nearby countries historically within its sphere of influence, particularly the Baltics and Moldova; all have large Russian-speaking populations, and Russian troops are stationed in the breakaway Moldovan territory of Transnistria.[188] Some devoted resources to increasing defensive capabilities,[189] and many requested increased support from the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which they had joined in recent years.[188][189]

United States

Turkey

  • On 7 March, the Turkish Air Force reported it scrambled six F-16 fighter jets after a Russian surveillance plane flew along Turkey's Black Sea coast.[198] It was the second incident of its kind reported that week, with one occurring the day before on 6 March. The Russian plane remained in international airspace. Diplomatic sources revealed that Turkey has warned Russia that if it attacks Ukraine and its Crimean Tatar population, it would blockade Russian ships' passage to the Black Sea.[199]

NATO

Belarus

  • Ukraine reported that Russian units in Belarus were participating in Russia's military exercises near the Ukrainian border.[201]
  • On 13 March, Russia sent six Su-27 fighters and three military transport planes to participate in exercises in Belarus, in response to the exercises in Poland.[202]

Legal aspects

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 sovereignty, self-determination, acts of aggression, and humanitarian emergencies. Russia on one hand, claims that its intervention on Ukraine was done for humanitarian purposes. Ukraine and other nations, on the other hand, argue that such intervention is a violation to Ukraine's sovereignty.
Russia contested that it has undertaken a humanitarian intervention to protect ethnic Russians in Crimea from threats to their safety.[203] However, critics have claimed that such threats did not exist and that Russia's claim to humanitarian intervention is not valid.[203] This doctrine stipulates that it is acceptable for a state to intervene into another state on exceptional circumstances of a grave humanitarian emergency to save a whole population whose lives are threatened.[203] The precedent of incursion into another nation's sovereign territorial boundaries on such basis—without a mandate from the United Nations Security Council—was made during the Kosovo War.[203] During the Kosovo War, NATO forces engaged forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on the basis of claims that the ethnic Albanian population was facing persecution and genocide.[203] NATO at that time claimed that the inability of the UN Security Council to act on the emergency required intervention without a mandate.[203]
The United States has also claimed that Russia's actions have violated Ukraine's sovereignty while it has addressed Russia's claims of threats to ethnic Russians with a proposal to send international monitors to Ukraine to ensure that the rights of all Ukrainians—including ethnic Russians—are upheld.[204]
Furthermore, both nations have also ratified several treaties between themselves. One such treaty, the Partition Treaty on the Black Sea Fleet—signed in 1997 and still in effect—allows Russia to maintain up to 25,000 Russian troops in Crimea. It is unclear, however, whether Russia can unilaterally increase its presence in Crimea while not exceeding the 25,000 threshold without the express authorization of Ukraine. This uncertainty came into question by Russia and several other nations during the crisis with U.S. officials believing that the legal force enacted by the treaty might have made Russia not consider its troop movements to be an invasion.[d]

Commentary

Marc Weller, a Cambridge University professor of international law, analyzed some legal aspects of Russia's actions, concluding that they are for the most part contraventions of established law. He has opined as follows:
  1. "Russia has clearly and unambiguously recognised Ukraine and its present borders, [as] confirmed in the Alma Ata Declaration of December 1991, which consigned the Soviet Union to history, the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, offering security guarantees to Ukraine in exchange for removing nuclear weapons from its territory, [and] the 1997 agreement on the stationing of the Black Sea fleet in Crimean ports."[206]
  2. The activity seen breached the latter agreement as it prohibited any unilateral increase of Russian forces in Crimea.[206]
  3. A 1974 United Nations definition[which?] deems using "foreign armed forces on the territory of a state in contravention of the agreement governing that presence" to be an act of "aggression".[206]
  4. The motive claimed by Russia – to protect Russians in another country – "lacks substance" in law according to Weller. It is, according to Weller, primarily Ukraine's responsibility (not Russia's) in law to protect Ukrainian citizens from violence (including ethnic Russian Ukrainians). There is a doctrine allowing "rescuing citizens abroad", but it only applies to "grave humanitarian emergency" (for which evidence Weller argues did not exist), does not apply to "foreigners declared nationals principally for the purpose of rescuing them forcibly", and can at most be used to rescue citizens back to their country, rather than occupying parts of another country. Further, "a state intervening for genuine humanitarian purposes would not be entitled to cause a change in the status of the territory concerned."[206]
  5. Although the past president of Ukraine was not removed in the correct manner (via impeachment) he was, according to Weller, "unanimously disowned by the parliament." Weller argues that the ousted President could no longer claim to represent the true sovereign of Ukraine, the people. The regional government of Crimea, according to Weller, seems to "lack the legal power" to require intervention by a foreign state.[206]
  6. "According to international precedent,[which?] [Crimea] cannot simply secede unilaterally, even if that wish is supported by the local population in a referendum",[dubious – discuss] not least since, according to Weller, "international practice generally seeks to accommodate separatist demands within the existing territorial boundaries". Weller also argues that, "divorce at gunpoint" is not recognized in international law.[206]
Another expert, Stefan Talmon (de), a professor of international law at the University of Bonn, shares the same legal view,[207] as does former professor of Public Law and Eastern European Law Otto Luchtenhandt (de), who notes that a referendum by Crimea alone would be invalid, as "Article 73 of the Ukrainian constitution states very clearly that questions of Ukraine's territorial sovereignty can only be decided by referendums put to the whole of the population." He states "hardly any" countries would recognize Crimea as Russia, even with a regional referendum. He draws a parallel to northern Cyprus which, 30 years after its 1983 separation, is still only recognized by the country – Turkey – that claims it.[207]
Sumantra Maitra, from the University of Otago, New Zealand, argued that this Russian aggression can be attributed to Vladimir Putin's foreign policy and economic policy correlation, and Russian aggression is directly proportional to its economic performance.[208][209] He also mentioned that Russian actions in Ukraine implies the Security Dilemma Russia is currently facing. [210]

Reactions

Ukrainian response

Interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov accused Russia of "provoking a conflict" by invading Crimea. He compared Russia's military actions to the 2008 Russia–Georgia war, when Russian troops occupied parts of the Republic of Georgia, and the breakaway enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were established under the control of Russian-backed administrations. He called on Putin to withdraw Russian troops from Crimea and stated that Ukraine will "preserve its territory" and "defend its independence".[211] On 1 March, he warned, "Military intervention would be the beginning of war and the end of any relations between Ukraine and Russia."[212]
On 1 March, Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov placed the Armed Forces of Ukraine on full alert and combat readiness.[213]

International reactions

Further information: International reactions to the 2014 Crimean crisis
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Ukrainian members of parliament, 4 March 2014
Much of the international community condemned and expressed grave concerns over the Russian intervention in Ukraine. The UN Security Council held a special meeting at the weekend on the crisis.[214] The G7 countries condemned the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, and urged Russia to withdraw.[215][216] All G7 leaders are refusing to participate in it due to assumed violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in contravention of Russia's obligations under the UN Charter and its 1997 basing agreement with Ukraine.[217]
The United States raised the likelihood of sanctions against Russia unless they withdrew.[215][218] United States President Barack Obama has put visa restrictions in place against "those responsible for or complicit in threatening the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," and the United States State Department has announced its own plans to do the same .[219] Canada recalled its ambassador from Russia.[220] British Foreign Minister William Hague removed Britain from preparations for the upcoming G8 summit and said the UK would work with international partners to "ensure that reforms by Ukraine are matched by international willingness to provide economic support".[221]

Financial markets

The intervention has caused turbulence on the financial markets. Many markets around the world fell slightly due to the threat of instability. The Swiss franc climbed to a 2-year high against the dollar and 1-year high against the Euro. The Euro and the US dollar both rose, as did the Australian dollar.[218] The Russian stock market declined by more than 10 percent, whilst the Russian ruble hit an all time lows against the US dollar and the Euro.[222][223] The Russian Central bank hiked interest rates and intervened in the foreign exchange markets to the tune of $12 billion to try to stabilize its currency.[218] Prices for wheat and grain rose, with Ukraine being a major exporter of both crops.[224]

See also

Portal icon Crimea portal
Portal icon Ukraine portal
Portal icon Russia portal
Portal icon 2010s portal
Portal icon International relations portal

Notes

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Radyuhin (2014) "President Vladimir Putin, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armed forces, asked Parliament for permission to use the Russian armed forces to "protect" Russian civilians and military in Ukraine."[38]
  2. Jump up ^ Walker (2014) "Putin also insisted that ousted Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovych, was the legitimate leader of Ukraine and that the "so-called" acting president had no authority and the new government in Kiev illegal."[39]
  3. Jump up ^ Baldor (2014) "A U.S. warship is also now in the Black Sea to participate in long-planned exercises."[194]
  4. Jump up ^ 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."[205]

References

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  97. Jump up ^ "Pro-Russia separatists flex muscles in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula". The Washington Post. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  98. Jump up ^ "Ukraine's State Border Guard says coast guard base surrounded by about 30 Russian marines". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  99. ^ Jump up to: a b Seizures of military facilities in the Crimea (photo), Ukraine: Marine portal, 2 March 2014
  100. Jump up ^ "Kryzys na Krymie. Kijów zarządził mobilizację wojsk. Rosjanie wejdą na Ukrainę?" [The crisis in the Crimea. Kiev ordered the mobilization of troops. The Russians will come to Ukraine?], Gazeta Wyborcza, 2 March 2014, archived from the original on 2 March 2014
  101. Jump up ^ "Russian forces blocked Ukrainian unit in Perevalne and demand to lay down arms", Ukrayinska Pravda, 2 March 2014
  102. Jump up ^ Russian soldiers blocked the 36th coastal defense brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, Ukraine: Marine portal, 2 March 2014
  103. Jump up ^ Ukrainian officers did not allow capture and extract of arms by special forces of the Russian Federation (Sevastopol), Ukraine: Marine portal, 2 March 2014[dead link].
  104. Jump up ^ "Russian special forces left the Ukrainian military unit in Sevastopol", Ukrayinska Pravda, 2 March 2014
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  106. Jump up ^ "Russian soldiers stormed unit Ukrainian in Sevastopol". Ukrayinska Pravda. 2 March 2014
  107. Jump up ^ In Crimea, captured the headquarters of the Azov-Black Sea Regional Administration and Simferopol border detachment of Ukraine State Border Service. State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. 2 March 2014
  108. Jump up ^ In Crimea were seized the headquarters of the Ukrainian border guards. Ukrinform. 2 March 2014
  109. Jump up ^ ATR TV. atr.ua
  110. Jump up ^ Military unit in Kerch is surrounded by Russian soldiers. video. Ukrinform. 2 March 2014
  111. Jump up ^ "Appointed by Kiev authorities commander of the Ukrainian Navy, took the oath of allegiance to the people of Crimea". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 2 March 2014
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  113. Jump up ^ "Crimean internal troops refused to surrender their weapons". Ukrinform. 2 March 2014
  114. Jump up ^ "Wives of Ukrainian troops in the Crimea are defending men", News in brief (Ukraine: BBC), 3 March 2014
  115. Jump up ^ "Over the Kerch crossing to UKRAINE broke through trucks with armed men", Ukrayinska Pravda, 3 March 2014
  116. Jump up ^ Russian troops broke through the border at checkpoint 'Krym-Kuban', State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, 3 March 2014
  117. Jump up ^ Into Ukraine across the Kerch crossing broke through buses and trucks with gunmen ignoring border control, Interfax-Ukraine, 3 March 2014
  118. Jump up ^ Ukrainian Warship Thwarts Attack in Sevastopol, NavalToday.com, 4 March 2014
  119. Jump up ^ "Black Sea Fleet demands from the Ukrainian military to surrender", Ukrayinska Pravda, 3 March 2014
  120. Jump up ^ The commander of the Black Sea Fleet issued an ultimatum to the Ukrainian military, declared the Defense Ministry, Interfax-Ukraine, 3 March 2014
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  122. Jump up ^ Russian Black Sea Fleet denies ultimatum to the Ukrainian military. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 3 March 2014
  123. Jump up ^ Baczynska, Gabriela (3 March 2014). Heritage, Timothy, ed. "Russian Black Sea Fleet says no assault ultimatum in Crimea". Interfax. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  124. Jump up ^ Ukraine's Yanukovych asked for troops, Russia tells UN, BBC, retrieved 4 March 2014
  125. Jump up ^ "In Russia confirmed that the unit in Perevalne is blocked by Russian soldiers", Ukrayinska Pravda, 3 March 2014
  126. Jump up ^ Russia sinks ship to block Ukrainian Navy ships, NavalToday.com, 3 March 2014
  127. Jump up ^ Росіяни затопили ще один корабель на озері Донузлав. Unian, 6 March 2014
  128. Jump up ^ "Armed men 'seize Crimea military base'". BBC. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  129. Jump up ^ "Russian troops thwarted in attempt to storm missile base in Sevastopol". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  130. Jump up ^ Russians Scuttle Another Ship to Block Ukrainian Fleet. Ukrayinska Pravda, 7 March 2014
  131. Jump up ^ Невідомі обстріляли літак Держприкордонслужби на кордоні із Кримом. Корреспондент.net, 8 March 2014
  132. Jump up ^ Ukraine crisis: Fresh confrontations on ground in Crimea. CBC news, 8 March 2014
  133. Jump up ^ [Більше читайте тут: http://tsn.ua/ukrayina/rosiyski-soldati-zahopili-sche-odin-aerodrom-u-krimu-i-vstanovlyuyut-kulemeti-zmi-338849.htm Російські солдати захопили ще один аеродром у Криму і встановлюють кулемети – ЗМІ]. TSN, 9 March 2014 l
  134. Jump up ^ Ukraine starts army drills as Russian military guards border with Crimea. The Sydney Morning Herald, 11 March 2014
  135. Jump up ^ Russian forces on move today in Crimea, seize military hospital in Simferopol and base in Bakhchisaray. Kyiv Post, 10 March 2014
  136. Jump up ^ Росіяни захопили пост українських радіотехніків у Криму. Korrespondent.net, 12 March 2014
  137. Jump up ^ Літак Держприкордонслужби знову обстріляли з російського блокпоста. Korrespondent.net, 13 March 2014
  138. Jump up ^ Росія затопила у Криму свій четвертий корабель. Gazeta, 13 March 2014
  139. Jump up ^ CEOs of biggest Russian firms could be hit by sanctions: paper, by Andrew Osborn and Lina Kushch. Reuters, 14 March 2014
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  141. Jump up ^ Pentagon Denies Downed U.S. Drone Report in Crimea, by Mike Hoffman. Defensetech, 14 March 2014
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  143. Jump up ^ Сайт Ростеха сообщил о перехвате в Крыму американского беспилотника, Forbes.ru (Russian), 14 March 2014. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
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  145. Jump up ^ Російські військовослужбовці замінували українську військову частину у Феодосії. Korrespondent.net, 16 March 2014
  146. Jump up ^ Ukraine officer 'killed in attack on Crimea base' BBC Retrieved on March 18, 2014
  147. Jump up ^ Окупанти у Сімферополі вбили українського солдата. Livivska Gazeta, 18 March 2014
  148. Jump up ^ Crimea crisis: Pro-Russians seize Sevastopol Ukraine naval base. BBC news, 19 March 2014
  149. ^ Jump up to: a b "Russian Military Forces Come into Chonhar Village, Kherson Region". Ukrainian News. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  150. ^ Jump up to: a b Feldman, Evgeny (9 March 2014). "On the Front Lines: Exclusive Photos of the Ukraine-Russia Standoff". Chonhar. Retrieved 10 March 2014. "Evgeny Feldman, a staff photographer for the Russian publication, Novaya Gazeta, visited a checkpoint Saturday on a road a few kilometers north of Crimea."
  151. Jump up ^ Plokhii, Olesia (7 March 2014). "Warning shots turn OSCE observers away from Crimea border". iPolitics. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  152. Jump up ^ SBU detains Russian spies in Kherson region. Kyiv Post, 12 March 2014
  153. Jump up ^ "SBU detains Russian spies in Kherson region". KyivPost. Interfax. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  154. Jump up ^ http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3dfe36d0-ac2b-11e3-b510-00144feab7de.html
  155. Jump up ^ http://www.mil.gov.ua/index.php?lang=ua&part=news&sub=read&id=33046
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  157. ^ Jump up to: a b На Херсонщині висадився російський десант. Ukrainska Pravda, 15 March 2014
  158. ^ Jump up to: a b c http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/03/15/7018897/
  159. Jump up ^ Grytsenko, Oksana (15 March 2014). "Russian troops invade Kherson Oblast, Ukrainians declare right to fight back". KyivvPost. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  160. Jump up ^ Politi, Daniel (17 March 2014). "Ukraine Accuses Russia of “Invasion” of Mainland as Referendum Nears". Slate. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  161. Jump up ^ "Chernihiv Regional Council Chairman declared about military movement near the Russian border". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. 2 March 2014.
  162. Jump up ^ Russia is suspected of preparing an invasion in Ukraine through the land borders, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency, 3 March 2014
  163. Jump up ^ No Russian armored vehicles on the segment of Luhansk border detachment – border guards, Ukrinform, 3 March 2014
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  186. Jump up ^ Russia tries to hide from OSCE its military troops Ukrayinska Pravda, 5 March 2014
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Further reading

  • Bremmer, Ian (1994). "The Politics of Ethnicity: Russians in the New Ukraine". Europe-Asia Studies 46 (2): 261–283. doi:10.1080/09668139408412161.
  • Hagendoorn, A.; Linssen, H.; Tumanov, S. V. (2001). Intergroup Relations in States of the former Soviet Union: The Perception of Russians. New York: Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1-84169-231-X.
  • Legvold, Robert (2013). Russian Foreign Policy in the Twenty-first Century and the Shadow of the Past. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-51217-6.

External links

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