On February 28, the armed forces of Russia captured local council buildings, airports, and military bases in Crimea and Sevastopol to protect Crimea’s Russian separatists. This situation is called the Crimea crisis. The Crimea crisis can be viewed as a conflict between pro-Russian and pro-European Ukrainians on the Crimean peninsula and a territorial dispute between the Ukraine and Russia in Crimea. However, it has become an international issue.
The Ukraine is separated into the east which is pro-Russia and the west which is pro-EU. On November 21, 2013, the Ukrainian government announced the suspension of a cooperation agreement with the EU, so citizens in favor of the agreement began large-scale protests. The anti-government protesters clashed with police in Kiev. They took over the city hall in Kiev on December 2 and toppled a statue of Lenin in Independence Square on December 8. On December 19, the Ukrainian Parliament banned anti-government protests, but anti-government protests continued. Then, Mykola Azarov, the prime minister of the Ukraine, resigned on January 28. However, clashes continued and about 100 people died. Finally, on February 21, Ukrainian President Yanukovych was impeached for his corruption and fled to Russia.
However, this sparked separatist movements in the Ukraine. Crimea had been recognized as an autonomous region belonging to the territory of the Ukraine. However, two-thirds of the population is Russian. A separatist movement broke out in Crimea, and Russia sent the army into Crimea to protect the pro-Russian people. On March 16, the Crimea voted to join Russia through a referendum. Russia wants to get Crimea because Sevastopol is an ice-free port and the Black Sea Fleet is based there. In addition, it has rich resources, for example, natural gas. Furthermore, Russia wants to obtain a better economic and military position than the USA and Europe. The USA and the EU have not recognized this referendum, and the UN adopted a resolution opposing the annexation. The EU imposed travel bans, asset freezes, and financial sanctions on Russian business and political leaders.
Since the crisis in Crimea, a movement for independence in the provinces of the eastern Ukraine has begun. On May 11, referendums took place in Donetsk and Luhansk asking for independence, and about 90% of the voters wanted independence from the Ukraine. The separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk announced that their provinces wanted to join Russia. However, the Ukrainian government categorized these referendums as illegal. In addition, the international community does not accept then. There is also concern that the separatist movement in the east of the Ukraine may spread to other states in the east.
The conflict between the USA, the EU, and Russia over the Ukraine and concerns about a division of the Ukraine’s east and west are deepening as the crisis continues. On May 25, Petro Poroshenko was elected the next president of the Ukraine. The new president will try to restore order in the eastern Ukraine through economic development and job creation. In addition, he has promised to mend ties with Russia. The whole world is hoping for peace in the Ukraine.
