The South African Civil Society Information Service

Making Sense of the Crimean-Russian Connection in the Ukraine Conflict

7 Mar 2014

Following the overthrow of the government of Ukraine, Russia occupied (some say invaded) strategic locations in Crimea on February, 28. Nevertheless, Russia has had a military presence in Crimea (a province of the Ukraine) for more than a decade. On Thursday this week, the Crimean parliament voted to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. The issue will be put to a public referendum in the next 10 days. Meanwhile President Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russia has no intention of annexing Crimea, but the situation has evoked Cold War. At the same time, the Russian parliament has stated that it will consider the question of Crimea following the outcome of the province’s forthcoming referendum.

Aleksandr Buzgalin, a Professor of Political Economy at Moscow State University, clarifies the Crimean-Russian connection in this interview with the Real News Network. He is also editor of the independent democratic left magazine Alternatives, and is a coordinator of the Russian social movement Alternatives, author of more then 20 books and hundreds of articles, translated into English, German and many other languages.

© The Real News Network

Editor’s Note: You might also be interested in "The Four Horsemen of the American Apocalypse - What the US Media Won't Tell You About Ukraine" by Ted Rall, an American journalist. It provides a fascinating account of what happened to large numbers of ethnic Russians living in countries that broke away from the Russian Federation at the end of the Cold War. "Is Russian-Ukraine Intervention Illegal?" from The Real News Network is also useful for understanding the socio-economic challenges facing Ukraine.

Read more articles filed under Videos.

Read more articles tagged with: Ukraine, Russia, Crimea.

You can find this page online at http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/1937.