Are you aware that Crimea was part of Russia for over 200 years, until Nikita Khrushchev literally gifted it to Ukraine in 1954 in order to gain the support of their party bosses during his accession after the death of Stalin?
Before Russia, it belonged to the Ottoman Empire, now defunct. Before that, it belonged to the city-state of Venice, going back to before Columbus discovered America. But it was NEVER part of Ukraine, until Khrushchev’s “gift.”
Imagine if President Eisenhower, as a dictator on his own, gave Long Island and NYC to Connecticut as part of a in internal United States political deal to secure CT’s support.
In 1954, the political gift was an internal USSR matter, not an international matter. In 1991, the USSR broke apart, and Khrushchev’s gift suddenly mattered. But despite the gift and the fluke that led Crimea to become part of the modern sovereign nation of Ukraine, Crimea has always been 90% ethnic Russian, and it contains Russia’s most vital naval bases and sea ports.
In fact, Crimea is far more Russian than Hawaii is American. It’s foolish and naïve to believe that the Russian’s will risk losing the Crimea during a period of chaos in Ukraine.
I have extended family in the Crimea and they do not want to be part of Russia. They are Ukrainian.
The last Czar's favorite palace was Livadia on the southeast coast of the Crimea and both Russians and Ukrinians take pride in it and it and the adjoining coasts are popular with tourists. The Ukraine is easier for many tourists than Russia. Americans need no visa to visit the Ukraine but need one for Russia. I enjoy touring both countries but this coup de main by Russia while the Ukraine is in a state of reorganization is disgusting, perverted, illegal, and typically fascist.
I do realize that.
This is now, and there is a matter of those pipelines and the FUTURE of those pipelines not only in Ukraine, but throughout the whole contested mess from Syria and environs.
Russia lost when Trans-Adriatic Pipelin took over building the pipelines carrying gas from Azerbaijan through Greece, Albania and under the Adriatic ending in Italy. The first leg starts in 2015, I think.
Azerbaijan’s SOCAR’s on-again off-again relationship with Russia is also intersting. SOCAR has 20% of the TAP.
National pride and history are moot. None of the powers think of that. Iraq and Syria would not exist if ethnicity entered into their thinking. It doesn’t.
I’m not saying Russia doesn’t have the right to an ancient claim, nor am I contesting the right of those of Russian descent, language, schooling and tradition to rejoin it.
But, it’s all about the gas and oil. Russia will be losing its monopoly (should we say stranglehold) and it is not taking it well.
We gave it back to Panama in 1977, and Russia was signatory to the 1994 accords recognizing Ukraine's territorial integrity in exchange for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons.
Guess we fooled 'em, eh?