Dominant Narratives, External Shocks, and the Russian Annexation of Crimea
Journal: Problems of Post-Communism
Year: 2020

Existing explanations for the Russian annexation of Crimea do not pay enough attention to changes in the representation of the Ukraine crisis throughout its duration in Russian foreign policy discourse. This paper provides an additional interpretation, contending that the annexation became possible due to a particular context in which the events in Ukraine were presented as a threat to Russian compatriots. It also argues that due to the external shock of February 2014 events, the “threat to comp