UKC

Are these facts true?

1) A Russian naval presence in Crimea dates to 1783 when the port city of Sevastopol was founded by Russian Prince Grigory Potemkin. Crimea was part of Russia until Nikita Khruschev gave it to Ukraine in 1954.

2) In 1997, amid the wreckage of the USSR, Russia & Ukraine signed a Partition Treaty determining the fate of the military bases and vessels in Crimea. The deal sparked widespread officer ‘defections’ to Russia and was ratified by the Russian & Ukrainian parliaments in 1999. Russia received 81.7 percent of the fleet’s ships after paying the Ukrainian government US$526.5 million.

3) The deal allowed the Russian Black Sea Fleet to stay in Crimea until 2017. This was extended by another 25 years to 2042 with a 5-year extension option in 2010.

4) Moscow annually writes off $97.75 million of Kiev’s debt for the right to use Ukrainian waters and radio frequencies, and to compensate for the Black Sea Fleet’s environmental impact.

5) The Russian navy is allowed up to

- 25,000 troops,

- 24 artillery systems with a caliber smaller than 100 mm,

- 132 armored vehicles, and

- 22 military planes, on Crimean territory.

Ukrainian marines look at a Russian ship floating out of the Sevastopol bay on March 4, 2014 (AFP Photo / Viktor Drachev)

Ukrainian marines look at a Russian ship floating out of the Sevastopol bay on March 4, 2014 (AFP Photo / Viktor Drachev)

6) Five Russian naval units are stationed in the port city of Sevastopol, in compliance with the treaty:

- The 30th Surface Ship Division formed by the 11th Antisubmarine Ship Brigade. Comprises the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship guard missile cruiser Moskva as well as Kerch, Ochakov, Smetlivy, Ladny, and Pytlivy vessels, and the 197th Landing Ship Brigade, consisting of seven large amphibious vessels;

- The 41st Missile Boat Brigade includes the 166th Fast Attack Craft Division, consisting of Bora and Samum hovercrafts as well as small missile ships Mirazh and Shtil, and 295th missile Boat Division;

- The 247th Separate Submarine Division, consisting of two diesel submarines – B-871 Alrosa and B-380 Svyatoy Knyaz Georgy;

- The 68th Harbor Defense Ship Brigade formed by 4 vessels of the 400th Antisubmarine Ship Battalion and 418 Mine Hunting Ship Division respectively.;

- The 422nd Separate Hydrographic Ship Division boasts the Cheleken, Stvor, Donuzlav and GS-402 survey vessels and hydrographic boats.

7) Russia has two airbases in Crimea, in Kacha and Gvardeysky.

Servicemen participate in a joint parade of Ukraine's Navy and the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on Navy Day.(RIA Novosti / Vasiliy Batanov)

Servicemen participate in a joint parade of Ukraine's Navy and the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on Navy Day.(RIA Novosti / Vasiliy Batanov)

8) Russian coastal forces in Ukraine consist of the 1096th Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment in Sevastopol and the 810th Marine Brigade, which hosts around 2,000 marines.

9) Russian naval units are permitted to implement security measures at their permanent post as well as during re-deployments in cooperation with Ukrainian forces, in accordance with Russia’s armed forces procedures.

Authorities in the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea – where over half the population is Russian – requested Moscow’s assistance after the self-proclaimed government in Kiev introduced a law abolishing the use of languages other than Ukrainian in official circumstances.

Last week, Russia’s Federation Council unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s request to send the country’s military forces to Ukraine to ensure peace and order in the region “until the socio-political situation in the country is stabilized.”

However, the final say about deploying troops lies with Putin, who hasn’t yet made such a decision, stressing that deploying military force would be a last resort.

In reply to Blizzard:

However, the final say about deploying troops lies with Putin, who hasn’t yet made such a decision, stressing that deploying military force would be a last resort.

A last resort to what?

In reply to Blizzard:

Does this all mean that there will a shortage of Chicken Kiev's ?

In reply to Albert Tatlock:


Too soon ? naaaa :-P

In reply to Blizzard:
Some of that is true; some is probably true. The Russian and Ukrainian troops used to get along quite well, and have previously engaged in various joint exercises, and were quite welcome. It should be noted that many of the troops being moved into Crimea are not the troops that were already there but have been called from other regions of Russia e.g. the North Caucasus.

But... the agreement is, and always been, that Russian troops go outside their bases do so with the agreement of the Ukrainian government. What is currently happening is that Russian troops (in poor disguise) are preventing Ukrainians troops from entering their own bases, are blockading Ukrainian naval vessels in or out of naval harbours, and have stationed themselves at various points around the Crimean peninsular outside of their bases.

This is, I understand, not so welcome.

It is a bit like if a NATO Scandinavian country started placing troops in Scotland, with the agreement of the Scottish government, and ejecting British troops from bases in Scotland.

I am not against Scottish independence, but neither Scotland nor Crimea has the right to secede to independence/a foreign power without the host state's agreement.

In reply to Blizzard:

Looks to me that Ukraine's hold over Crimea is untenable

Looks like the regions parliament has voted to (re)join Russia and that will go to a referendum on March 16

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26465962

Assuming they vote yes, will the west back the unelected govt in Kiev in rejecting the democratic decision ?

In reply to Chris the Tall:

To complicate matters still further, it looks like the leader of the Mejlis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mejlis_of_the_Crimean_Tatar_People
has called the decision of the pro-Russian Crimean parliament illegitimate.

In reply to Douglas Griffin:


And no doubt it is, secession would be unconstitutional and the referendum isn't likely to be considered a fair vote by impartial observers (even by Florida standards). But if the vote is overwhelming it will be difficult to argue against Russia's position

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Which might be fine if Russia then applied the same rules to its own regions with separatist movements...