No. 2: Legal and political dimensions of contemporary conflicts in Europe

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Browsing No. 2: Legal and political dimensions of contemporary conflicts in Europe by Subject "Crimea"

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    The Crimea Crisis from an International Law Perspective
    (2016) Marxsen, Christian
    In February and March 2014, Ukraine was literally overrun by a chain of events that eventually led to Crimea’s incorporation into Russian territory. Crimean and Russian authorities jointly used the internal conflict in Ukraine to deprive the Ukrainian government of its control over Crimea, to hold a so-called referendum, and to declare Crimea’s independence. On the day after independence was declared, Russia formally recognized Crimea as an independent state, and the Crimean parliament requested Russia to admit Crimea to the Russian Federation. Soon after that, the accession treaty was signed, and, within a few more days, all Russian constitutional requirements for Crimea’s accession to the Russian Federation were fulfilled. All parties to the conflict refer to international law to justify their positions. The Crimean authorities and Russia claim that Russia had a legal basis for intervening and that Crimea had the right to secede from Ukraine. Most states, however, reject these claims. Thus, three questions are presented: Was Crimea’s secession lawful under international law? To what extent has Russia violated international law? And what is Crimea’s status? This article addresses these questions. Part 1 briefly describes the relevant circumstances and events leading to Crimea’s secession. Part 2 reviews the legal obligations between Ukraine and Russia concerning territorial integrity and the prohibition against the use and threat of force. Parts 3 and 4 discuss the legality of Russia’s intervention in Crimea and the legality of Crimea’s secession from Ukraine, respectively. Part 5 concludes this article by answering the questions it raises.
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    Hybrid War or Civil War? The Interplay of Some Methods of Russian Foreign Policy Propaganda with International Law
    (2016) Zadorozhnii, Oleksandr
    This article discusses the attempts of Russian officials to hide the elephant in the room - Russia’s military participation in a war that Russia falsely portrays as civil war in eastern Ukraine. Unlike Russia’s propaganda, it relies on the facts of Russia’s involvement in Ukraine, facts that show that Russian troops participated in the fighting in Donbas even though this has been adamantly denied by the highest ranking Russian officials. The author concludes that international law requires Russia and Russian leaders to be held responsible for waging a war of aggression against Ukraine.