Tag: Crimean annexation

Ukraine has Cost Putin Domestic Support But How Much and for How Long?

July 9, 2014

Staunton, July 9 – Recent events in Ukraine and especially the Kremlin’s decision not to intervene overtly in support of pro-Russian groups there has cost Vladimir Putin support among Russians, but Moscow commentators disagree about how much he has been hurt and how long the impact of this shift will last. Aleksandr Dugin, the Eurasianist […]

West Must Accept Crimean Anschluss Because of Putin’s ‘Good’ Behavior Elsewhere, Russian Analyst Says

July 8, 2014

Staunton, July 7 – What may become a central plank in Moscow’s propaganda about and policy toward Ukraine has now emerged with a Russian analyst arguing that the West should accept as final and legitimate Moscow’s annexation of Crimea because Vladimir Putin is showing such restraint elsewhere in Ukraine. Anton Chablin points out that the […]

Putin Admits to Aggression in Ukraine but Leaves Loopholes for More

June 27, 2014

Staunton, June 26 – Even as Vladimir Putin is being praised by some for having the Russian parliament rescind its authorization for the use of force in Ukraine, the Kremlin leader has admitted that he has done just that, left himself a variety of loopholes to do more, and promised to continue to “defend” ethnic […]

Fewer than Two Percent of Crimean Tatars Apply for Russian Citizenship

Staunton, June 26 – Only 5,000 of the 300,000 Crimean Tatars living in the Russian-occupied peninsula have applied for Russian passports over the last ten days, according to the Russian official there responsible for nationality affairs. That figure reflects the steadfast opposition of the Crimean Tatars to the Russian Anschluss. These officials say that applications […]

European Union Shows the Way on Crimean Non-Recognition Policy

June 25, 2014

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 […]

Russia Further from Superpower Status than When Putin Came to Power

June 24, 2014

Staunton, June 22 – With the occupation of Crimea and with the encouragement of the Kremlin, many Russians believe they are on their way to becoming a super power once again, but the most thoughtful among them recognize that Russia lacks two if not three of the elements a super power must have. For a […]

Crimean Tatar Leader Says Russian ‘Occupiers Won’t Be There Long’

June 23, 2014

Staunton, June 21 Mustafa Cemilev, the long-time leader of the Crimean Tatars, said in an interview June 20 that he has no intention of moving his family out of Crimea despite the fact that the Russians have blocked his return because he is certain that “the occupiers will not remain in Crimea for long”. Cemilev, […]

St. Petersburg Imam Moves to Crimea to Push Moscow’s Agenda

June 14, 2014

Staunton, June 14 – The lack of local support in Crimea for the Russian occupation and the resistance of the Crimean Tatars to that occupation has prompted an imam from St. Petersburg to go to Crimea where he serves as Moscow’s point man against the Milli Mejlis which has just announced the Crimean Tatars will […]

Under Russian Occupation, Crimea’s Ports Now ‘Danger Zone’ for International Shipping

Staunton, June 13 – Under international maritime law and given insurance rules, ship owners may soon find it more risky to send their vessels into the ports of Russian-occupied Crimea than they would dispatching them into war zones, according to an analysis by a Russian maritime expert. That is because, Mikhail Voytenko says in a […]

As Putin Pursues Imperial Goals, Fewer Russians Regret End of USSR

June 11, 2014

Staunton, June 11 – Even as Vladimir Putin pursues what many see as an effort to restore an empire centered on Moscow, polls show that ever fewer Russians regret the end of the Soviet Union – something the Kremlin leader has said was “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century – and ever more […]