Lessons from the (un)rule of law in Crimea
Journal: Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks
Year: 2021

Post-annexation Crimea represents an area of limited statehood which is also an area of contested sovereignty: while Ukraine’s statehood is not so much ‘limited’ as it is absent, the ‘alternative governor’ is another State, namely Russia, meaning that statehood as such is abundant. This chapter examines the governance gaps that ensue and the rule of law dilemmas that this case poses at the international and domestic levels. The analysis reveals that Russia has violated a plethora of internationa