Quote:
Originally Posted by Oberon
Not that I'm aware of, that's one of the things that Russia dangled on a rope for them to sign for keeping the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, but the Russians are crash-expanding the base at Novorossiysk, so if they do lose Sevastopol it won't be that devastating to the Black Sea Fleet.  |
Yes, and:
The big issues between the Ukraine and Russia is Crimea (peninsula on the northern coast of the Black Sea). If you look at the history of Crimea at e.g.wiki: Russia annexed Crimea in 1783 and it became part of Russia. After 1944, when Crimea was freed from German occupation by the Red Army, it became a province of the Russian SSR.
But in 1954 it was within the Union of SSR (USSR) transferred from the Russian USSR to the Ukranian SSR which the Russian-nationalist side today after the collapse of the USSR considers as a huge mistake.
In 1992 Crimiea was upgraded to an Autonomous SSR within the USSR. After the USSR ceased existence, crimea became part of the independant Ukraine which caused tensions between Russia and the Ukraine.
Crimea is now an autonomous republic within the Ukraine, but its population is 58,5 % Russians and 24,4% Ukrainians, On the Crimea people vote pro-Russian but not pro-West or Ukrainian-nationalist candidates.
May be if the Ukraine transfers Crimea back to Russia, then Russia will allow the Ukraine a rapprochment to the West.