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Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Crimea
CreatedMarch 11, 2014 (adopted)
Author(s)Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council
Purpose

The Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was a joint resolution adopted on March 11, 2014 by the Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council that proclaimed the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol a sovereign state — the Republic of Crimea. The decision was taken after unmarked Russian soldiers ("little green men") invaded Ukraine and seized the Crimean parliament.[1][2][3][4]

The declaration of independence and subsequent referendum were not internationally recognised by most countries.[5]

According to the Declaration, the newly formed state has the right to apply to Russia for the inclusion of the territory in the federation as a separate subject.

In Ukraine's constitution, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are recognised as integral parts of Ukraine, and changes to the territory of Ukraine is possible only after the relevant result of an All-Ukrainian referendum.[6][7]

International reaction

Russia recognised the Republic of Crimea's declaration of independence,[8][9] and following a referendum in the territory which was condemned as "illegal" by the European Union and countries such as the United States, annexed the Republic into the Russian Federation. US President Barack Obama said that Russian actions were a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and that the referendum would "violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law".[10] On 27 March 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the "Territorial Integrity of Ukraine" Resolution, which recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine.[11]

The genuine nature of the declaration has been called into doubt with one scholar calling it a "fig-leaf" to disguise the fact that it was a transfer of territory from Ukraine to Russia.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ How Russia Took Crimea Macias, Amanda (2015). Business Insider. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  2. ^ Synovitz, Ron (March 4, 2014). "Russian Forces in Crimea: Who Are They And Where Did They Come From?". rferl.org. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Reeves, Shane R.; Wallace, David (2015). "The Combatant Status of the "Little Green Men" and Other Participants in the Ukraine Conflict". International Law Studies. 91: 393. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2020. Russian Federation control of Crimea began when unidentifiable soldiers, colloquially called "little green men" by the local population, but later confirmed to be members of the Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz), stormed the Crimean parliament.
  4. ^ Putin Admits Russian Forces Were Deployed to Crimea Reuters (2014). Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  5. ^ The Crimea Crisis – An International Law Perspective Marxsen, Christian (2014). Max-Planck-Institut. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  6. ^ "CONSTITUTION OF UKRAINE".
  7. ^ "Why the Crimean Referendum Is Illegitimate". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "Statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  9. ^ "Ukrainian prosecutors demand annulment of declaration of Crimea independence". ITAR-TASS. March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  10. ^ "'Illegal' Crimean vote condemned". BBC News. March 6, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  11. ^ "General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  12. ^ Borgen, Christopher J. (2015). "Law, Rhetoric, Strategy: Russia and Self-Determination Before and After Crimea". International Law Studies (International Law Studies ed.). 91 (1). ISSN 2375-2831. The recognition of Crimea by Russia was the legal fig leaf which allowed Russia to say that it did not annex Crimea from Ukraine, rather the Republic of Crimea exercised its sovereign powers in seeking a merge with Russia
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