Ukraine-Russia Tensions Evident in Crimea -- Washington PostKremlin Asserting Its Influence in Region.
SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine -- On maps, Crimea is Ukrainian territory, and this naval citadel on its southern coast is a Ukrainian city. But when court bailiffs tried to serve papers at a lighthouse here in August, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by armed troops from Russia's Black Sea Fleet who delivered them to police as if they were trespassing teenagers.
The humiliating episode underscored Russia's continuing influence in the storied peninsula on the Black Sea nearly two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union -- and the potential for trouble here ahead of Ukraine's first presidential vote since the 2005 Orange Revolution.
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My Comment: My father ... a Russian who was born in the Ukraine .... expresses the sentiment of most Russians .... why is the Crimea under the jurisdiction of the Ukraine?
For most Russians who live in the Western Ukraine (where they are a majority), they also do not understand (and in fact resent) being under the authority of Kiev and the Ukrainian majority. If there was a vote for independence from the Ukraine and reunification with Russia .... it will win with a sizable majority. This is the Achilles heel for the Ukrainian Government, and it is only getting worse with time.
Talks with what to do with Crimea is what will probably blow open a political disagreement into something more. Add to this mix age old resentments and nationalism .... we can have a crisis that can easily surpass the problems of the Caucasus and other former Soviet Republics.
The vote in January is going to be a crucial one for the Ukrainians .... its outcome will influence regional politics and security for the next generation .... for better or for worse.
2 comments:
I didn;'t realize Western Ukraine
is majority Russian- perhaps the writer wanted to refer to Crimea
having a majority being Russian.
I guess the 80% of Ukraine's citizens who are Ukrainian live somewhere other than Ukraine!
Yes ... the reference was to Crimea and to two far western provinces (50% Russian and 50% Ukrainian) that border Russia. I should have been more clearer on this.
On a side note, on my father side my family grew up south of Kiev. When I visited my relatives a few years ago, I quickly learned that they are classified (by both the Ukrainian Government and Russian Government) to be Ukrainian. They do not see themselves as Ukrainian but as Russian .... and I am sure that this is the case for many others.
I guess I can use my own status as an example. I live in Quebec (Canada), and most people think I am French. I am not. I am English with my nationality being Russian.
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