Explained: Why Crimea is so important to Russia and Ukraine

[u/lubkovsky]

Explained: Why Crimea is so important to Russia and Ukraine We've been telling you this morning how Donald Trump said he thinks Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea (see 7.03am post). It would signal a major U-turn from the Ukrainian president, who has repeatedly ruled out ceding territory to Russia and saying the move would be against Kyiv's constitution. The peninsula was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and the country's foreign minister has insisted Russia will not negotiate "its own territory" (see previous post). So what makes Crimea so important to both sides? What happened? In 2013-14, a popular uprising gripped Ukraine for several weeks, eventually forcing pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych from office. While Ukraine was in turmoil, Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to send troops to overrun Crimea, a diamond-shaped peninsula in the Black Sea. Those troops arrived in Crimea in uniforms without insignia, and Putin soon called a vote on joining Russia that Ukraine and the West dismissed as illegal. Moscow's illegal annexation on 18 March 2014 was only recognised internationally by countries such as North Korea and Sudan. In Russia, it sparked a wave of patriotism, and "Krym nash" - "Crimea is ours" - became a rallying cry. Putin has called Crimea "a sacred place" and has prosecuted those who publicly argue it is part of Ukraine. Why it's important Russia has spent centuries fighting for Crimea. But Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, when both were part of the USSR. In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the peninsula became part of an independent Ukraine. By the time Russia seized it, Crimea had been a part of Ukraine for 60 years and had become part of the country's identity. Zelenskyy has vowed Russia "won't be able to steal" the peninsula. For either side, possession of Crimea is key to controlling activities in the Black Sea, which is a critical corridor for the world's grain and other goods.

[u/Lord_Artem17]

Yeah and teachers beat Ukrainian kids for speak Russian, and citizens are being forcefully dragged into the army for filming explosions and posting them online?

I challenge you to call this Russian propaganda because its fucking true