ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA BY RUSSIAN FEDERATION, UNITED STATES AND EUROPEAN UNION'S ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIAN FEDERATION, 2014-2018
Authors: BAŞARAN Ali 
Published: April 2020

This article has been prepared with the view of the intervention of the Russian Federation in the internal affairs of Ukraine and the necessity of evaluating the consequences of the sanctions imposed by the USA and the EU after the occupation and annexation of Crimea. The US and EU administrations have imposed sanctions on the violation of Russian Federation’s international law and tested the hypothesis that the Russian Federation will comply with international law. The dates of the sanctions of the US and EU governments were determined and the effects of these sanctions on the Russian Federation were evaluated. Political and economic effects of sanctions in Russia have been determined. It was observed that sanctions and counter-sanctions had a negative impact on the daily life of the Russian Federation society and punished Russian society indirectly. It is expected that Russia will comply with international law through sanctions. It was understood that the sanctions could not ensure the Russian administration’s adherence to international law. As a result, sanctions in non-democratic societies do not meet the expectations. The paper is valuable because there are limited number of researches in which the issue is addressed in the interaction of economic and political relationsThe interaction between political and economic data was concentrated on. In the first heading research aim, plan and execution process explained. In the second heading collected that opinions on the occupation and annexation of Crimea. There is a consensus on illegality of occupation and annexation according to international law. On December 5, 1994, in the Budapest Memorandum, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine. The third heading is “Ukraine’s Response to the Occupation and Annexation, Efforts to Establish Dominance in Crimea, Concerns About Russian Federation’s Annexation and Occupation of Ukraine’s Other Areas”. Despite the invasion and annexation of the Crimea by the Russian Federation, Ukrainian administration has not declared open war to Russian Federation. Ukraine has defined the occupation and annexation of Crimea as a problem contrary to international law and has sought international support, especially from the US. The Reaction of the USA and the EU explained in the 4th heading. The US and the EU responded to the occupation and annexation by applying economic sanctions. Ukraine was expected to achieve territorial integrity through sanctions. It is not certain that political goals will be achieved through economic sanctions. The last heading is “Researches on the Types and Effects of Sanctions and Results of the Sanctions”. With the impact of economic sanctions, there is no unity in the contribution of the USA and the EU to the realization of expectations. Some comments suggest that economic sanctions do not meet expectations, and the sanctions are not sufficient enough to ensure the Russian Federation’s retreat from Crimea. In some interpretations, diplomatic and economic sanctions are the most appropriate options since military response is not possible. During the occupation and annexation of the Crimea, Ukraine has sought international support. The reason for Ukraine’s call for international support is obvious. If Ukraine were already more powerful than the Russian Federation, it could prevent the invasion and annexation of Crimea itself. When Ukraine is matching up with the Russian Federation, it is seeking to international support because it knows that the balance of power is in favor of the Russian Federation.