Moscow and Washington continue to exchange phone calls and threats about the crisis in Ukraine. On Tuesday February 1, the United States even asked for the departure of the families of American diplomats in Belarus. They accuse Russia of preparing “an attack” of Ukraine, via troops massed on the border, while Moscow claims to defend itself against any expansion of NATO. To try to understand the stakes of this conflict, franceinfo went to Crimea, where the inhabitants know the interests of the two camps well since this region belonged to Ukraine, before being annexed by Russia in 2014.
This annexation took place without any difficulty: Russia already had its large naval base, Sevastopol, in Crimea, which it rented from Ukraine. “We have many ships controlling the Black Sea area, including our radar-undetectable submarines”explains Alexandre, who takes us on a tour of the Black Sea Fleet, warships currently on alert. “This fleet has always been settled here and, at all times, Crimea and Sstarbastopol aroused greed. But, too bad for [les Ukrainiens]the fleet will stay here forever.”
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Most of the locals here are Russian-speaking and many say they have always felt Russian. Although it flouted international law, Russia’s annexation of Crimea was welcomed by the majority of locals. “The intervention ofrussian soldiers here did not scare me”so remembers Anastasia, a teacher from Yalta. “It made me happy, because for us it was protection.”
The inhabitants, having an obvious link with the two countries, are experiencing, this time, the current crisis between Washington and Moscow rather badly. When Western countries point to Russia as the potential aggressor, the people of Crimea see themselves as the attacked. They absolutely do not like the government in Kiev.
“The policy that the Ukrainian government is pursuing has no future. The people there are great and it’s really a shame that things are going like this”so sorry Volodya, a pensioner from Sevastopol. “Russophobia is responsible for all their problems. For me, maybe we should look elsewhere.” Elsewhere, that means much further west.
“It’s France, England and America that are causing the tension. Even Ukraine has nothing to do with it, but it’s dependent on America, you understand?”
Alexandre, fifty-something who lives in Crimeaat franceinfo
Most of the inhabitants therefore seem to have chosen the Russian side. It must be said that Moscow has done everything for it. Indeed, since they annexed Crimea, the Russians have made it one of the most subsidized regions of the country. “They are investing in the economy, it is visible”welcomes Elena. “Before, the city was abandoned, it was shameful. It was very degraded, there was no kindergarten. Now they are building some and other public facilities. It brings us well-being.”
Many locals see Ukraine as a failed state and see opportunities in Russia. “If history had turned out differently and Crimea had remained Ukrainian, I think I would have gone abroad, as many Ukrainians still do today”says Ivan, a tourist guide of Yalta. “Many of my friends from Kharkovor other Ukrainian cities, are trying to get a Russian passport so they can move to Russia.”
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There are even more and more Russians “from the mainland” who come to settle in Crimea. Evgueniya thus arrived three years ago with husband and children, despite the international sanctions that hit the territory. She wanted to escape the pollution of her city in Siberia: “The environmental conditions at Krasnoyarsk weren’t good for our daughter’s health. I did not think about the fact that the situation in Crimea was specialshe remembers. I’m not interested in politics but we don’t feel like we’re abroad and we feel totally in Russia.”
In the minds of all these inhabitants, who are not activists but ordinary citizens, it seems unthinkable that Crimea will one day become Ukrainian again, even though that would be the meaning of international law. They resent the prospect of a potential war with Ukraine. They are torn between two cultures, like Oleg, a 16-year-old Crimean who studies French.
“I speak Ukrainian perfectly but my mother tongue is Russian. From this point of view, I am Russian. But my parents come from Ukrainian cities so I cannot say if I am more Russian or Ukrainian.”
Oleg, 16-year-old Crimean.at franceinfo
A war between the two countries? “Inadmissible”, according to him. Here, moreover, nobody seems to believe in the hypothesis of a military conflict even if a war which does not say its name is underway not far from here, in the Donbass, in the east of Ukraine. This war has already caused 15,000 deaths, to the almost general indifference of the West.