The Legal Aspects of Crimea’s Independence Referendum of 2014 With the Subsequent Annexation of the Peninsula by Russia.
Journal: Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University)
Year: 2016

This thesis examines Crimea’s 2014 unilateral declaration of independence and subsequent absorption by Russia. It examines the region’s volatile history and attempts to present a balanced view of the positions of the main actors involved: Crimeans, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea’s Tatar minority, and the international community. It presents a host of legal opinions on the issue, trying to answer whether Russia’s annexation of the peninsula can be considered legal under international law.\n\nVirtually a