“Substitution of values”: why on Victory Day in Ukraine they again raised the question of Crimea’s membership

Vladimir Zelensky addressed citizens on the occasion of Victory Day. The President of Ukraine said that some memorial bells will be installed in the republic. They, according to the head of state, will also appear in Donetsk and Simferopol.

“Yesterday I was in the Lugansk region, near the first village, where in 1942 the liberation of Ukraine began. And there the first bell will be installed - the Memory Bell. Today I am in Transcarpathia, near the place where the expulsion of the invaders ended. The Victory Bell will be installed here. We believe and will do everything so that the day will definitely come when two more bells will be installed: the Peace Bell in Donetsk and the Unity Bell in Simferopol, ”Zelensky said.

Zelensky explained that when peace comes in Ukraine, “four bells will simultaneously notify of this momentous event in the history of Ukraine.”  

Recall: the Republic of Crimea, with its capital in the city of Simferopol, became part of Russia following the referendum, more than 96% of the participants voted for reunification with Russia.

Presidential Dreams  

Since his election as president, Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly raised questions regarding the entry of Crimea into Russia. So, in August 2019, he expressed confidence that the peninsula will “return” to Ukraine. 

“I know for sure that the day will come when Crimea will surely return to Ukraine and the separated Crimean Tatar families will gather at the same table ... and there will be only happy holidays in its history,” Zelensky said at a meeting with representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Ankara. 

• T-34 tank during a military parade in Sevastopol
• RIA News
• © Alexey Malgavko

At the same time, the president added that Kiev is taking a “tough stance” in this matter.  

“Naturally, we have a tough stance on the return of the Crimea, of course, we want this,” Zelensky said, adding that Kiev secured the support of “international friends”. 

In February 2020, Zelensky, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, said he would like to hold local elections in October throughout Ukraine, while mentioning Crimea.

“Today, our desire is to hold local elections throughout Ukraine, including in certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, in October 2020, we would also like in the Crimea,” Zelensky said then. 

The Ukrainian leader also added that in the Donbass "we need legitimate elections" that will not be such if they are held "not according to Ukrainian law, to the sound of gunfire and without control of our border."

At the end of February of this year, he announced that the return of the Crimea was the national idea of ​​Ukraine.  

“I would like to start with simple, obvious things ... A week consists of seven days. The planet Earth is round, and Crimea is Ukraine ... The return of Crimea is an integral part of the Ukrainian national idea, ”Zelensky said.

Meanwhile, a number of representatives of the Ukrainian political environment regard such statements as a personal PR action of the head of state.

“The president is preparing for the local elections scheduled for the fall. In fact, you can talk about the return of the Crimea as much as you like. Zelensky, however, does not talk about specific dates, so you can go to this goal forever, ”says a RT source in the Servant of the People party.

According to the interlocutor of RT, Zelensky perfectly understands that it is impossible to realize all these statements.  

“The American partners of Ukraine have repeatedly stated that it is not worth counting on the return of Crimea. And this question is no longer being raised in Ukraine. Therefore, making such statements for Zelensky is risky. His opponents can at any time recall that the president has not fulfilled his promises, ”said the deputy.

In turn, an RT source from the Batkivshchyna party claims that Zelensky follows Poroshenko’s course.

“The Ukrainian elite has long been pushing for a compromise and thereby end hostilities in the Donbass, as well as“ hush up the issue ”of the return of the Crimea and establish dialogue with Moscow. But the Western partners are against it. Therefore, for Ukraine, Russia will be the most convenient enemy in the coming years. Presidents are changing, but politics remains the same, ”RT said.

Crimean realities  

It is worth noting that, despite repeated statements by the Kiev authorities on the annexation of Crimea to Ukraine, the inhabitants of the peninsula are of the same opinion regarding the region’s affiliation. So, in March 2020, VTsIOM conducted a survey according to which Crimeans positively assess the return of Russian status to the peninsula.

• Fireworks on Mount Mithridates in Kerch in honor of Victory Day
• RIA News
• © Alexey Malgavko

According to 72% of Crimeans, reunification with Russia had a positive impact on their lives.

The Russian authorities also repeatedly noted that the referendum in March 2014 was held in full compliance with international standards, and therefore the issue of Crimea’s membership is closed.

“Trying to balance a position”

From the point of view of experts, the fact that the President of Ukraine raised the issue of Crimea’s membership on Victory Day can hardly be called an accident. 

“It seems that Kiev is afraid of nationalists, so the actions it takes are often dictated by fear,” said Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, in an interview with RT.   

He also noted that the Ukrainian president participated in a number of memorial events dedicated to the Victory Day: he laid flowers in the east of Ukraine and in the west, and also stated that the expulsion of the invaders was completed in Transcarpathia, and the liberation of Ukraine was over. 

“This statement can be interpreted in such a way that Zelensky stands in solidarity with the position of Russia that Ukraine was part of the USSR, so he sent the opposite signal today, demonstrating that he still adheres to anti-Russian views. This is an attempt to balance their position so as not to be attacked by nationalists, ”the political scientist explained.  

At the same time, in a conversation with RT, the president of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko suggested that the statements of the Ukrainian president about symbolic bells in honor of the victory over fascism, as well as in the name of the future peace in the Donbass and the return of Crimea, are designed to distract the attention of society from current problems and “Substitute values” traditionally associated with the May 9 holiday.

Vladimir Shapovalov also agrees with this assessment, who noted that Zelensky’s administration is continuing its course towards creating a large-scale image of the enemy from Moscow, while Kiev has no domestic and foreign policy achievements.

“The attitude towards Russia under Zelensky remained virtually the same as it was under Poroshenko. The expectations of the Ukrainian people, which were converted to Zelensky’s high rating in the presidential election, and which were primarily associated with the end of the war in the South-East of Ukraine, as well as the normalization of relations with Russia, did not materialize, ”Shapovalov concluded.