Retaking Russian-annexed Crimea a utopian goal for Ukraine

A ceremony honoring Russian soldiers who have fallen since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, on February 25, 2023 in Sevastopol, Crimea, territory annexed by Russia in 2014. REUTERS - ALEXEY PAVLISHAK

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Nine years ago, on 18 March 2014, Vladimir Putin signed the agreement to join Crimea and Russia. The Ukrainian peninsula was illegally annexed by Moscow after a sham referendum. Long in the background, the question of the status of Crimea has resurfaced thanks to the large-scale Russian offensive. Kiev's stated desire to reconquer the peninsula is embarrassing its Western allies.

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By retaking Crimea, we will restore peace. This is our land. Our people. Our story," Volodymyr Zelensky wrote last month on Twitter. The Ukrainian president regularly announces that his country will regain control of the peninsula annexed nine years ago by Russia. Since the Russian withdrawal from Kherson and the right bank of the Dnieper, this prospect seems less unattainable than at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

9 years ago, Russian aggression began in Crimea. By returning Crimea, we will restore peace.

This is our land. Our people. Our history. We will return the Ukrainian flag to every corner of Ukraine.

Qırım serbest olacaq!

🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/jdInUhcutm

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2023

But if Western chancelleries have always publicly stated that Crimea was part of Ukraine, it seemed to be a special case for them.

Many officials believe, without publicly affirming it, that Ukraine will be unable to retake all its territory by force. In Paris, as in London or Berlin, it is stressed that the West can only help sustain the war effort for a certain period of time.

But there is also the fear of a more violent Russian reaction or the use of nuclear weapons, as Crimea has a very important symbolic and political value in the eyes of Vladimir Putin. However, if Ukraine's supporters do not actively encourage it to take back Crimea, there is no question of making a public case about it. Officially, Kiev sets the tempo.

► Read also: Crimea, an old quarrel between Russia and Ukraine

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Read on on the same topics:

  • Ukraine
  • Russia
  • Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Vladimir Poutine
  • Disputed territories