INTRO: Crimea has been a crossroads for millennia, colonized by serial invaders from Mongol warriors to Genoese traders.
Catherine the Great annexed it for Russia in 1783, and World War II brought a Nazi occupation.13 hours ago
Crimea, Once a Crossroad of Civilizations, Finds Itself Isolated and Under Attack
Mostly
Russian visitors now cavort along its historic beaches, hoping to avoid
the Ukrainian drones whizzing toward military targets.
Every month, Ukraine unleashes three or four attacks on the Crimea bridge. The latest one, last week, used underwater explosives to try to damage the support structure, Ukraine said.
Each
salvo forces the bridge to close, disrupting the main artery between
the Russian mainland and the Black Sea peninsula for up to seven hours.
While official information is scarce, a channel on the Telegram app
warns motorists to avoid crossing, as it did during another recent
attack, because a “hail of shrapnel” peppers the bridge when Russia’s
considerable air defenses blast the Ukrainian drones.
Ever since Russia seized Crimea
in 2014 in a preview of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine eight years
later, the peninsula has been a focal point of the conflict between the
countries.
Moscow says its conquest righted a historical wrong, and demanded in cease-fire negotiations in Istanbul last week that any settlement include international recognition of Russian control. Ukraine vows to never abandon its claim. . .
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post notes
Despite
improved living standards, Crimeans rank below the Russian national
average in income, especially as the war has pushed up prices, although
some benefit. Crimean wines gained a new cachet after the European Union
banned most wine sales to Russia, so the cost of vineyard land more
than quintupled in four years, one vintner said.
Tens
of thousands of Ukrainians have left the peninsula, and a wave of
Russians emigrated from the mainland, although concrete numbers are
elusive.
Ukraine says acknowledging
Russian sovereignty would reward aggression. Crimeans often react to the
idea that a war settlement might include recognition of the peninsula
as Russian with a shrug, although they would welcome the end of
sanctions that restrict travel and deter outside investment.
“Honestly
speaking, the majority of Crimean people don’t think about recognition,
because they consider Crimea a part of Russia,” said Lubov V. Gribkova,
a foreign relations adviser to the mayor of Yalta.
Reporting was contributed by Alina Lobzina, Nataliya Vasilyeva, Ivan Nechepurenko and Maria Varenikova.
Neil MacFarquhar
has been a Times reporter since 1995, writing about a range of topics
from war to politics to the arts, both internationally and in the United
States.
Milana Mazaeva is a reporter and researcher, helping to cover Russian society.
Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine
How We Verify Our Reporting
==
You've accurately captured some key moments in Crimea's complex history
.
Crimea: A History of Change and Conflict
- Ancient & Medieval Period:
Crimea has been inhabited since prehistory, with various groups like
the Tauri and Scythians settling the region. The Greeks established
colonies along the coast starting in the 5th century BCE. Over
centuries, it saw the rise of the Bosporan Kingdom, Roman control, and
Byzantine influence. In the medieval period, the interior came under the
sway of the Golden Horde, leading to the formation of the Crimean
Khanate, which became a dependency of the Ottoman Empire.
- Russian Annexation & Crimean War:
In 1783, Catherine the Great annexed Crimea for the Russian Empire.
This strategic acquisition, providing Russia with a warm-water port, led
to conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, including the Crimean War
(1853-1856). This war, famous for events like the Charge of the Light
Brigade, devastated the peninsula.
- 20th Century & Soviet Era:
Following the Russian Revolution, Crimea experienced significant
upheaval and changing political control. It became an autonomous Soviet
republic within the Russian SFSR in 1921. During World War II, it was
occupied by Germany, and after the Soviet recapture in 1944, the
indigenous Crimean Tatar population was forcibly deported by Stalin's
government. This act has been described as a cultural genocide.
- Transfer to Ukraine:
In 1954, Crimea was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian
SSR, a move that would have significant consequences in the post-Soviet
era.
- Independent Ukraine & 2014 Annexation:
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Crimea became
part of independent Ukraine. Despite recognition of Ukrainian
sovereignty by Russia in 1997, tensions escalated in 2014, when Russia
illegally annexed Crimea following a controversial referendum. This
annexation is not internationally recognized by most coun
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