Legal consequences of Germany’s non-recognition of the Russian annexation of Crimea
Published: 27 August 2021 Authors: Stefan Talmon and Hannah Janknecht
In February 2014, in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution, Russian troops stationed in Crimea under an agreement between Russia and Ukraine left their military bases and took control of the peninsula. A pro-Russian government was installed which held a status referendum in which the majority ethnic Russian population voted overwhelmingly for the independence of Crimea and the accession to Russia. On 18 March 2014, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders signed a treaty of accession making Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol the 84th and 85th federal entities of the Russian Federation. (more…)