Justification of the Crimean Annexation by Russia: Legitimizing Arguments by President Putin

What is it about?

In 2014, Russia annexed, i.e., took forceful possession of Crimea—an autonomous republic within Ukraine. This event was backed by the legitimising arguments delivered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The author of this study went through the Russian President’s public speeches between 2014 and 2015 regarding the possession of Crimea. She identified four main arguments used by him to justify the possession of Crimea. First, President Putin argued that Russia has a “legal right to govern” Crimea. He tried to create feelings of agreement and cooperation among Ukrainian citizens, to make the power-shift process easy and acceptable. Second, he focused on how Crimea shares its roots, history, and identity with Russia. This way, he painted the picture that this possession was a way for their citizens to “return to the fatherland.” Third, he argued that the possession was necessary to ensure that post-war Russian economies are safe from the long term, harmful effects of potential coups by Ukraine. The final argument questioned why Russia is punished for activities that are ignored in the west. These differences prevent fair judgement and lead to poor international relations. This way, the President unfairly convinced domestic and global communities that the possession of Crimea was a way to protect Ukrainians from internal conflicts. Moreover, it would uphold Russia’s security and survival on an international front.

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Why is it important?

These arguments help understand how Russia justifies political moves in public. They show that the possession of Crimea was a “Russian” issue. Multiple arguments in the dataset promoted the false idea that Crimea was always Russian. In fact, Russia is shown as an active player while Ukraine is shown as a passive country that can be used by other players to cause political problems for Russia. The narrative changed a little with each dataset. Towards the end, it was apparent that Russia did not only react but took active part in this event for its own gain. KEY TAKEAWAY: Arguments by the Russian President convinced domestic and international communities that the possession of Crimea in 2014 was a necessary political event. Most importantly, it highlighted Russia’s foreign policy and its relations with the West—either as an ally or an enemy.