The Kremlin media’s well-known narrative of a supposedly almost unanimous support among Crimea’s population as well as of the allegedly profound historical justification for the annexation has many supporters not only in Russia, but also among numerous Western politicians, journalists, experts, and diplomats. Often, these commentators consider themselves – in distinction to “idealistic” defenders of international law – as geopolitical “realists”, or even – in contrast to their overly emotional colleagues – as more “balanced” observers.
OP-ED
Andreas Umland: To whom does Crimea belong?
Crimean Tatars flag waves at the ceremony commemorating the victims of the 1944 deportation of the indigenous people of Crimea, the Crimean Tatars, at Sofiivska Square in Kyiv on May 18. Ethnic Russians became the majority on the peninsula only in the 20th century, thanks to the Tsarist and Soviet deportations of other ethnic groups.
