The

Annexation of
Crimea by
Russia
A perspective from the World
System Theory
November 13, 2021

Nina Fernanda Ángela Sanchez Valencia

Paloma Francina Martínez Ramírez
Early History of the Crimean War
For centuries the Peninsula Crimea has been a territory disputed by different powers due to its strategic
location in Europe, and its access to the Black Sea. The Crimea peninsula has been the home of a large
population of Tatars of Turkish and Muslim origin who were ruled under the Crimean Khanate by the Ottoman
Empire.

For several hundreds of years, the dominant force in the region had been the Ottoman Empire, but in the 17 th
century, with expansion of the Russian Empire of its southern border, brought the two empires into conflict, and
over the next two centuries, they engaged in a series of wars to control the Black Sea Region. In 1783, Crimea
was annexed by the Russian Tsarina Catherine (the Great) from the Ottoman Empire and regional rivalry for
the peninsula from the two empires continued to persist. Nevertheless, in the Crimean War (1853-1856), the
control of the Crimean Peninsula expanded into a larger European Conflict, driving Britain and France on one
side and Russia in another, and ended with Russia accepting its defeat in the War with the signature of the
Treaty of Paris of 1856.

After collapse of the Russian Empire, with the Russian Revolution of 1917, the remaining Crimean Tatars
declared Crimea to be an independent democratic republic. During the Russian Civil War (1918-1920) Crimea
served as redoubt for the anti-Bolshevik force, and the peninsula was reorganized in 1921 as the Crimean
Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. During World War II, Germany bombed Crimea and left Sevastopol in
ruins, and Russian Premier Joseph Stalin, ordered to rebuild the port. After the Second World War ended,
Crimea was stripped from its autonomy and in 1946 was downgraded to an Oblast (region) of the Russian
Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Additionally, Joseph Stalin deported approximately 200,000 tartars to
Siberia and Central Asia, and ethnic Russians were brought to repopulate the region and replace the
workforce.

Crimea in the Soviet Union and in Ukraine

After Stalin´s death, with Soviet Premier, Nikita Kruschev, Crimea was transferred to Ukraine in 1954, on the
mark of the 300-year anniversary of Ukraine´s union with Russia under the Pereyaslav Agreement. In 1989,
with Gorbachev´s Perestroika, it was declared that the deportation of Crimean tartars under Stalin had not
been legal, and many Muslim Tatars resettled in Crimea, and with the formal disintegration of the Soviet Union
in December of 1991, Crimea was passed to the newly independent Ukraine. In 1994, Crimea had a short-lived
independence movement and in December of that year, Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and the United
Kingdom signed the Budapest Memorandum which committed the signatories to respect Ukraine´s post-Soviet
Borders. The Black Sea Fleet was also divided proportionally between Russia and Ukraine, and Russia was
granted access to the Port of Sevastopol. In 1997, with the signature of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation
and Partnership, Crimea was again reaffirmed as Ukrainian territory. Nonetheless, Russia tried to build a dam
in the Kerch Strait which sparked a diplomatic incident in 2003.
Crisis in Ukraine: Orange Revolution and the Euromaidan
The presidential election of 2004 brought Ukraine social and political movements, and a dispute between the
two candidates Viktor Yanukovych, who was strongly supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Víktor Yushenko, who had an anticorruption platform and emerged as the leading opposition candidate.
Yushenko´s health began to fail, and medical tests revealed that he had suffered poisoning from a toxin
(dioxin), which damaged his health and left him disfigured in the second round in which Yanukovych won and
this originated a series of protests which accused him of fraud, and this was called the Orange Revolution.

The Euromaidan was a wave of demonstrations mainly in Kiev´s main square, in November of 2013, which
were caused by the Ukrainian government’s decision to suspend the signature of agreement with the
European Union, leaning into a closer relationship with Russia. The protest turned into brutal repression, abuse
of power and violation of human rights, from the Ukrainian government. After months of protest, and the
population´s request of his resignation, lead to President´s Yanukovych fleeing from Ukraine into Russia in
February of 2014. Oleksander Turchynov was appointed acting President, a move that was considered as a
coup d’état by Yanukovych.

Russian Invasion and Annexation of Crimea

Following the Ukrainian Revolution, a secession crisis began in the Crimea Peninsula, pro-Russian protesters
became increasingly active in Crimea, and groups of armed men and lack of uniforms surrounded the airports
in Simferopol and Sevastopol. In March of 2014, President Yanukovych requested to Russian President
Vladimir Putin to send military forces to establish legitimacy and peace in Ukraine, and on the same day
President Putin requested and received authorization from the Russian Parliament to deploy troops from
Ukraine in response to the crisis. Masked gunmen occupied the Crimean parliament building and raised the
Russian Flag, and declared the leader of the Russian Unity Party, Sergey Aksyonov, as Crimea´s Prime
Minister. Russian troops were mobilized to the Crimea Peninsula and by March 2, the troops had the control of
Crimea. Turchynov criticized this action and characterized it as provocation and violation of Ukrainian
sovereignty, while Russian President Vladimir Putin considered it as an act of protecting of its Russian citizens
and military assets in Crimea. On March 6, the Crimean Parliament voted to secede Ukraine and join with
Russian Federation, with public referendum on March 16. During the referendum there were several
irregularities in the voting process, with armed men in numerous parts of the cities and in the polling stations,
and the result was an overwhelming 97 per cent in favor of joining Russia. Within hours of the signature of the
treaty of the incorporation of Crimea into Russia, Russian troops moved within the peninsula occupying bases
throughout the peninsula and the naval headquarters of Sevastopol. And on March 21, after the ratification of
the annexation treaty by the Russian Parliament, President Vladimir Putin signed a law formalization the
integration of Crimea into Russia.

Geopolitical importance
The geopolitical history of Crimea will always be surrounded by who controls its geostrategic location, whether
is the Ottoman Empire, the Soviet Union, Crimea as an independent state, Ukraine or Russia, its territory its
truly valuable to whomever is able to control it and have it under its domain. Taking this main idea and to
provide a precise analysis of the Crimean history and the actual status, the concept of State and its elements:
population, government and territory will be used for analysis, as well as, the geopolitical concepts, such as,
hegemony, military, political and geopolitical power, and the World System Theory, with its concepts of core
country, periphery country, and semi-periphery country.

The international issue that will be addressed besides its geopolitical importance by the Black Sea and it`s a
strategic position that may be of great advantage in case of an armed attack against either Russia or Ukraine,
it will also be addressed the importance of what natural resources can provide, such as natural gas, and water
and that it can also be seen as an opportunity to increase the territory and economic importance of the country
that controls Crimea.

If we apply the concepts described in the above paragraph. Crimea has a territory, of 27,000 km2 and is
geographically located on the northern coast of the Black Sea and on the west Coast has the Sea or Azov. The
only land border with Ukraine is Kherson Oblast on the north. Regarding its population, ethnic Russians
constitute most of the population in Crimea, and a minority of both ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tartars, thus
demographically possess on of Ukraine´s largest ethnically Russian populations. Crimea is almost an island an
only connected with the continent by the Isthmus of Perekop (5-7 km strip).

Crimea has very high geopolitical importance as it provides access to the Black Sea and serves as an
economic route connecting with the Caucaus region and the Caspian Sea to central and Eastern Europe. The
Black Sea Port of Crimea provides access to the Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans, and Middle East.

The Dnieper River is a major water transportation route that crosses the European continent and links the
Black Sea with the Baltic Sea. Crimea also possess several natural gas resources which were starting to be
drilled by western companies before the annexation. Due to its position around the sea, it has four main
commercial ports, Eupatoria, Kerchi, Feodosia and Yalta, as well it possess several natural gas deposits which
were starting to be drilled by western companies before the annexation, as well it´s rich on minerals such as
charcoal, iron, manganese, oil, cast and alabaster all of this conditions make Crimea a strategic point on the
map, maybe the most important piece on the puzzle to make a country powerful. Russia has also promised
Crimea that it will build gas pipelines, power plants and a bridge that will connect Crimea with Russia. The
construction of this bridge in the city of Ketsch is currently under construction.

Using the World System Theory to analyze the Annexation of Crimea by Russia
The World System Theory which can be seen as a standpoint rather than a theory, tries to explain the
dynamics of the capitalist world economy, it has a clear emphasis on development and the relation it has with
unequal conditions between countries, and the division between core, semi-peripheral and peripheral
countries. Core countries are described as dominant and independent, peripheral countries depend on core
countries on various segments, and semi-peripheral ones are less developed than core countries but more
developed than peripheral countries, this perspective refers to the forces and relations of productions of the
world economy as whole. The theory focused on world-economy rooted in a capitalist economy. This point of
view was first proposed by Immanuel Wallerstein in 1974 after a trip to Africa when he realized how larger
countries would get certain benefits from underdeveloped countries, the present essay´s objective is to explain
Crimea´s present situation and background according to this perspective.

Russia can be seen as a core country, while Ukraine is a semi-peripheral country, and the Crimea peninsula
could be considered a semi-periphery territory as well. Russia dominates Ukraine, and it is of its interest to
maintain Ukraine distant from the West, meaning the European Union and the United States, and keeping
Ukraine closer to its political and economic interests to serve as its semi-peripheral country.

The Annexation of Crimea by Russia on 2014, viewed from the World System Theory, it can be said that with
this Russia, utilizes its dominance as a core country and its expansion and control on its southern border and
utilizes Crimea due to its geopolitical importance with its access to the Black Sea Region, is able to maintain its
control of the region and expand its territories (land) and (sea) control, with the expansion of its presence of its
naval fleet on the port of Sevastopol. It can also be said that Russia as a core country, it also exploits another
important factor, which are natural resources, meaning the natural gas resources that Ukraine and Crimea both
possess. Russia economically exploits this with the purpose of selling it to Ukraine itself and the European
Union. Russia controls the pipelines and if wanted it can exercise cohesive measures in Ukraine, Crimea and
with the European Union. As Russia controls a large part of the gas distribution provided to the European
Union. With this example we can also position Russia as a core country exploiting Ukraine and Crimea to
serve its economic interest and apply political pressure and use it as power and negotiation tool with the
European Union.

The annexation of Crimea by Russia demonstrates its power as a core country, it gains prestige, dominance,
and hegemonic power, in the region and with Crimea under its control it is also leverages Russia into taking
more important decisions in the Asian and European Continent, and it positions it with other core countries
such as the United States, the European Union and China.

Ukraine on the other side, if it would dominate the Crimea region could also become a core country, if it would
gain back the control of the Crimea peninsula, it would allow them to position themselves as important decision
makers in the region and in the continent and would perhaps have more independence over its decision to
become closer politically and economically with the European Union as well as a full member of the NATO.
For Crimea, under the World System Theory, one of the most important elements of a State it`s the
sovereignty and we cannot say that Crimea portrays this condition, the population is mostly Russian, with a
minority of Muslims tartars and since the annexation, thousands of Crimean Tartars have been driven out by
increasing aggressive Russian presence. Since 1991 with Ukraine´s independence from the USSR, Crimea
has been trying to be an autonomous state yet USSR and Ukraine´s governments see it as an asset that they
need to exploit to become the hegemonic leader.

Conclusion
This war displaced nearly 2 million people and has destroyed Ukraine´s infrastructure. Current President
Volodymyr Zelenzkyy has pledge to do all possible political, legal and first and foremost diplomatic means to
recover the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula and has urged international allies to support this effort. The
United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and Japan, and several other countries (including
Ukraine) have imposed sanctions against Russia, including some specifically targeting Crimea. Many
sanctions have been targeting specific individuals that include travel bans and freezing of assets both Russian
and Crimean. Economic sanctions have been imposed on sales, supply chains, infrastructure, and tourisms.
The strategically located peninsula, has given Russia military leverage not only in the Black Sea but in the
Mediterranean region and has leveraged Russia´s position as a core country with hegemonic dominance in the
region, leaving Ukraine and Western countries in a disadvantage. The potential risk in the region is that Russia
continues to increase its naval presence in the Black Sea as well as takes other regions in Ukraine or other
periphery countries. It is up to the international community not to allow any more violations of international
interventionism on independent countries.

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