Staunton, September 27 – On September 27, a group of Volga Tatar nationalists demonstrated in Kazan against Russian persecution of Crimean Tatars, an action that not only reinforces the ties between the two Turkic peoples but also highlights the way in which what Moscow is doing in Crimea is increasingly resonating among non-Russians inside the […]
Tag: Anschluss
Russian Occupiers in Crimea Shut and then Re-open Gasprinsky Library But Allow Meeting in His Honor
Staunton, September 26 – Four days after the Russian occupation authorities closed down the Gasprinsky Library in Simferopol as part of their effort to rein in the Crimean Tatars, later reopening it presumably under tighter control, the same officials allowed a meeting to take place in Bakchisarai in honor of the centenary of the death […]
If Putin Isn’t Stopped in Ukraine, He Will Move against Baltic Countries, Piontkovsky Says
Staunton, September 20 – If the West does not stop Vladimir Putin’s campaign to subordinate Ukraine to Moscow, then the Kremlin leader will move against the Baltic countries even though that carries with it the direct threat of a military conflict with NATO, according to Andrey Piontkovsky. But if Putin and his concept of a […]
Moscow Won’t Succeed in Building Kerch Bridge to Crimea, Ukrainian Historian Says
Staunton, September 13 – Russia will not be able to build a bridge across the Kerch Strait to link occupied Crimea with the Russian Federation, according to a Ukrainian scholar. But its likely inability to do so means that Moscow may have even more reason to press ahead with its aggression elsewhere to secure a […]
Moscow to Conduct New Census to Reduce Status of Ukrainians and Tatars in Crimea
Staunton, July 20 Soviet and Russian censuses have always been used for political purposes even if that has required massive falsification. Stalin scrapped the 1937 enumeration entirely, and scholars have identified massive distortions in the 2002 and 2010 counts. But rarely has Moscow announced in advance that its purposes were political, something which makes falsification […]
West Must Adopt a Serious Non-Recognition Policy on Crimea, Mejlis Leader Says
Staunton, July 16 – Western countries need to adopt a serious non-recognition policy concerning Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea, including imposing real restrictions on firms Russian or otherwise which seek to use the ports and airports of the peninsula, according to Refat Chubarov, the Mejlis leader. In an interview with Mikhailo Glukhovsky of the Glavkom.ua […]
Turkey Puts Real Teeth in Its Non-Recognition of Russian Annexation of Crimea
Staunton, July 5 – The 27 major Turkish ports that normally handle international shipping will not allow any ship to dock if it carries papers declaring that its home port in “Russian Crimea” rather than in Ukraine or has passed through such an occupied port, according to a decision of the Turkish council of ministers […]
Putin Lives in an Alternative Universe and Expects Everyone to Join Him There, Golts Says
Staunton, July 5 – The best way to understand what Vladimir Putin is doing, most recently in his speech to Russian diplomats, Aleksandr Golts says in a commentary in Yezhednevny Zhurnal yesterday is to imagine a similar speech by Putin to the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In such an imaginary situation, the […]
European Union Shows the Way on Crimean Non-Recognition Policy
Staunton, June 25 – In 1940, consistent with the principle that territorial changes achieved by force alone would not be recognized, the US took the lead in articulating a non-recognition policy concerning the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and for the next 50 years, it maintained that policy until the Baltics recovered their […]
Putin’s Goals Make Diplomatic Solution in Ukraine Impossible, Illarionov Says
Staunton, June 23 – Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending his aggression in Ukraine, a series of actions intended to subordinate that country to the Kremlin or end its existence as an independent state, according to Andrey Illarionov. As a result, no diplomatic solution is possible, and other countries are likely to be drawn […]