Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a sizable audience in Moscow’s Red Square on March 18 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his government’s annexation of Crimea.
The common themes of resolving a traditional injustice, the impenetrable unification of the Soviet people, and the significance of Crimea to Russian identification were once more brought up. The group formally applauded.
The events, however, appeared sluggish compared to ten years ago when it appeared that the entire nation was experiencing collective ecstasy. In the past ten years, many things have changed, not the least of which is how Putin’s missteps have rekindled uncertainty about Crimea’s reputation.
On the island itself, life has changed deeply. The “land of milk and honey” promised to Crimea’s population at the time of invasion has not been realized. International sanctions, higher costs and increasing confusion have left the foundation of the market, tourism, in the doldrums. Additionally, the political freedoms that were present under Ukraine have vanished, not just for the Tatar and Ukrainian communities but also for the Russians.
Crimea’s safety is also in danger, never since 2014. About 20 % of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet, including the premier Moskva, have been destroyed by Ukrainian rockets and drones. Additionally, the Kerch Bridge, which is a representation of Putin’s victory, has been the target of numerous problems.
The Russian army has been ignominously driven from its Crimea foundations to Novorossisk, a safer haven in Russia itself. According to defeats suffered by the Russian ships, ships carrying Ukrainian corn can then leave the Black Sea.
In one place, but, the Russians have enjoyed victory. The island is being steadily rubbed.
‘ Russian World ‘
Following the job, Crimea was not subject to an arbitrary russification policy. It is based on Russkii Mir (” Russian World” )’s ideology. This idea, which Putin espouses, is itself a part of a long traditional history that dates to Catherine the Great‘s annexation of Crimea in 1783.
The philosophy of the Russian World asserts that Russia is a supra-national culture that includes Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and various regions of the former Soviet Union, far beyond the current borders of the Russian Federation. The ideology also supports the removal of any other representation of identity within its sphere, while is happening in Crimea.
The Soviet Union ( 1917–1991 ), the Imperial Russian State ( 1921–1917 ), and now the Russian Federation under Putin have all at different times attempted to resuscitate the Crimean Peninsula’s population.
Stalin deported the whole Mongol inhabitants, or 200 000 people, in 1944 after the Imperial government encouraged the migration of the peninsulars.
Under Krushchev, who served as president of the Soviet Union between 1958 and 1964, a partial profit occurred, which grew even more rapid as the Crimea embraced a political Ukraine. Putin has since changed his mind and vowed to end both the names of the Tatar and Ukrainian.
Eradicating non- Soviet personality
When Putin began the invasion, he vowed to preserve the various regional traditions that were present in Crimea. These guarantees were immediately broken, and they have been since.
Democratic activists have been detained, and any other ethnic identity that is not related to Russian has been prohibited. The Mejlis, the national organization that controls the Crimean Tatars, has been suppressed, and all other official bodies are a farce, just like the ones in Russia itself.
The Russian Orthodox Church constantly supports the persecution of the Tatars and Ukrainians, and this is also a crucial component of the russification guidelines.
The comprehensive nature and brutality with which it is being carried away are what make the russification of Crimea so impressive. The imposing of Russian membership on the peninsula’s community has been a significant tool of russification. This was accomplished by combining crude threats with subsidies.
Access to vital companies such as health, education, banks, pensions and work is conditioned on acceptance of Russian citizen. Without a passport, these companies are certainly accessible. The refusal to give Russian membership has resulted in home seizures, ejection from the peninsula, and even threats to remove Ukrainian citizenship’s children.
People are available for military support after obtaining membership. Additionally, the state of Putin has ruthlessly recruited people from the Crimea and the Donbass. These methods were extended to the lands occupied since 2022 by a new citizenship laws passed in April 2023.
Since the invasion, demographic changes have also occurred in addition to these changes. According to Soviet images, at least 200, 000 Russians have migrated to Crimea since 2014. According to Ukrainian images, 50, 000 Russians and Tatars have left during the same time period.
This is a variety of cultural cleansing intended to render Crimea unreliable and safeguard it from any fair elections that may result in the return of the peninsula to Ukraine.
A brutal regime that tolerates no names other than those that it prescribes has been a terrible practice in the ten times since the annexation of Crimea.
Russification in Crimea also serves as a model for the Russian government’s withdrawal from its holdover of Ukrainian territory since 2022, which is a gloomy reminder to any upcoming Russian-occupied territory.
At the University of York, Shane O’Rourke is a top teacher in modern history.
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