Crimean anti-NATO protests of 2006

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This photo taken on November 6, 2006 in Feodosiya features protester's banners with typical for these organizations pro-Russian and anti-Western rhetoric. Banners claim the solidarity of Bakhchisaray, Kerch, Odessa, Kharkov (Kharkiv) with Feodosian protesters. Also: "The future of Ukraine is in the union with Russia", "Crimea and Russia: the strength lies in unity", "Russia - friend, NATO - enemy", "Shame to traitors."
This photo taken on November 6, 2006 in Feodosiya features protester's banners with typical for these organizations pro-Russian and anti-Western rhetoric. Banners claim the solidarity of Bakhchisaray, Kerch, Odessa, Kharkov (Kharkiv) with Feodosian protesters. Also: "The future of Ukraine is in the union with Russia", "Crimea and Russia: the strength lies in unity", "Russia - friend, NATO - enemy", "Shame to traitors."

The Crimean anti-NATO protests of 2006 were series of political demonstrations in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine, against United States military maneuvres and against Ukraine's possible bid to join NATO.

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[edit] Events

In June 2006, 200 U.S. marines[1] arrived to the Crimean city of Theodosia to take part in the Sea Breeze 2006 Ukraine-NATO military exercise involving troops from sixteen countries. However, the exercise, which have been held annually for several years, did not take place, as it was not approved by the Ukrainian parliament[2] in part due to delays in forming a government after the parliamentary election of March 2006. Their aim was to "simulate the defence of a peninsula caught between a totalitarian state and a democratic one."[3] "Totalitarian state" may be considered an allusion to Putin's Russia.

The U.S. marines were greeted by violent protests by the local population (between 100 and 300 protesters)[4], with barricades and slogans "Occupiers go home!" thus forcing the Marines to remain in the barracks. Natalia Vitrenko, leader of the Vitrenko bloc, announced that the Crimea has been occupied by the U.S. forces. Several days later, the Crimean parliament declared Crimea a "NATO-free territory."

[edit] Diplomatic reaction

On June 5, 2006, Serhiy Yevtushenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and director of the Institute of Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, was stopped at the Moscow airport and sent back to Ukraine.[5] The following day, Russian Duma vice-speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky and member Konstantin Zatulin were banned from entering Ukraine (were declared persona non grata) based on the Ukrainian law concerning foreigners’ status, "foreigners are prohibited to enter the country if they violated Ukrainian legislation during their previous stay."[5][6] In the case of Zatulin, Ukrainian government accused him of trying to invoke ethnic violence and work against territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state.[5] For example, Zhirinovskiy stated: “Ukraine does not exist. Russian governors must sit in Kyiv and Minsk. True Russian borders are the borders of September 1917.”[6] The Russian Foreign Ministry denounced the ban as unfriendly.[7]

[edit] Background

Crimea is an autonomous republic of Ukraine with a predominantly ethnic-Russian population, which was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954. It is planned that Russia's Black Sea Fleet will be based in Sevastopol Crimea until 2017. Surveys indicate that currently the majority of Ukrainians oppose joining NATO.[8][9][10][11]

Russia's State Duma voted 435 to 0 to warn[12] Ukraine that its entry to NATO would lead to "very negative consequences for the whole complex of mutual relations between our two brother nations".

[edit] Criticism

Some observers point out at Russian government and the Russian Orthodox Church's support of these movements and parties in Ukraine, especially in Crimea.[13] The publications and protest actions of these organizations feature strongly pro-Russian and radically anti-Western, anti-NATO messages invoking the rhetoric of "Ukrainian-Russian historic unity", "NATO criminality", "conspiracy against the Eastern Orthodox Christianity", etc (see picture.)

[edit] References

Inline:
  1. ^ Jeremy, Page. Anti-Nato protests threaten eastward expansion (English). The Times Online. Retrieved on March 25, 2007.
  2. ^ Verkhovna Rada allowed foreign troops to train at Ukrainian territory. UNIAN (April 6 2007).
  3. ^ Page, Jeremy (June 07 2006). US troops trapped in barracks as protesters reheat Cold War (English). The Times Online.
  4. ^ Page, Jeremy (June 07 2006). US troops trapped in barracks as protesters reheat Cold War (English). The Times Online.
  5. ^ a b c N/A. Gazeta.pl.
  6. ^ a b Kovalenko, Oksana (June 8 2006). Zhirinovsky and Zatulin Will Not Be Able to “Wash Their Boots” in the Black Sea (English). Ukrayinska Pravda.
  7. ^ Russia regards ban on Zhirinovsky's entry to Ukraine as unfriendly act. Interfax (June 7 2006).
  8. ^ 51% of Ukrainians support Ukraine's entrance into the EU, 57% - against Ukraine's NATO membership. Institute of Mass Information (June 9 2006).
  9. ^ Only 12% of Ukrainians support Ukraine's entrance into NATO (Russian). Podrobnosti.ua (January 13 2006).
  10. ^ UAToday.net
  11. ^ 59% of Ukraine citizens would vote against Ukraine’s NATO membership – poll. UNIAN (April 24 2008).
  12. ^ Russia warns Kyiv over Nato plans. BBC News (June 7 2006).
  13. ^ The Sunday Times Once more into the valley of death? October 24, 2004