Liberation of Crimea essential for lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe

On October 24, 2023, the Czech Parliament hosted the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform with representatives from 51 countries of the world.

Participants of the Platform expressed their intention to support the provision of political, diplomatic, military, security, financial, humanitarian and other forms of assistance to Ukraine, as well as to support Ukraine on its path toward EU membership.

ZMINA publishes the speech of Oleksandr Khara, an expert at the International Crimea Platform and an expert on foreign and security policy, who gave a speech at the Second Parliamentary Summit of the Crimean Platform.

The vision of Europe, hope, freedom, and peace can only be achieved with lasting peace and justice in Ukraine. This vision hinges on restoring Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and holding Russians accountable for all the crimes and injustices committed in Ukraine. The liberation of Crimea is at the heart of this issue. 

Justice

Refat Chubarov is a Crimean Tatar. His entire nation has suffered a lot during the Bolshevik regime, and now, in the occupation of Crimea in 2014, the Russians turned evil again.

I represent the Greek-Ukrainian minority, and Ukrainian-Greeks settled in Crimea in the 5th century BC, even before the Russian theme was invented. We suffered a lot as well. We had the first deportation in 1778, and then during the Soviet times. The Russians have not come to terms with their imperial and Soviet past. Joseph Stalin’s record high popularity is a symptom of the illness dangerous for all of us.

The lack of accountability for past atrocities has paved the way for the horrors we witness today. We must end this impunity and ensure Russians pay the price.

Lasting peace

Regardless of how temporary or transient it may be, even an inch of Ukrainian territory under Russian control cannot bring true and lasting peace to Ukraine or Europe.

Crimea, however, is not a disputed territory or a frozen conflict. The Ukrainian nation is the only legitimate owner of the Crimean peninsula, and its return is likely to be done by military force.

Crimea is a decisive territory. Any theory of Ukraine’s victory ignores the fact that its fundamental is its law. Crimea is a part and parcel of this war, and taking it back will bring this war to an end. This would be no compelling reason for Russia to continue this war.

A military defeat in Crimea will accelerate changes in Russia itself. The liberation of Crimea is not only a critical step towards achieving lasting peace for Ukraine but also carries a global implication because the Russians would not be able to impede the freedom of navigation and obstruct the supply of goods to the foreign markets we’ve seen with grain.

Sinking the assets of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and fending off the rest of it out of the lines of communication of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports is the only way to ensure the world’s global security.

Russia’s control over the Crimean peninsula grants Moscow the capacity to prop up the Assad regime in Syria and has appealed to Syrians with impunity. It also facilitates the Kremlin’s malign activities across Africa and other Middle East nations. Crimea is one of the most powerful tools for projecting its power beyond the Black Sea region, so we must focus on it.

The influx of Syrian refugees fleeing Russian bombardments in 2015 triggered some authorized appraisal in European nations, and so Russians may try to do this trick again with the African nations. True and lasting peace can be attained while Russia cannot control Crimea, capable of hitting each and every city of Europe with calibre missiles.

So, Ukraine, as a part of the air and missile defence of the European continent, Ukraine is a must to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.

It is undeniable that in our common shared interest to swiftly end this war, preventing it from becoming a prolonged or frozen conflict. It necessitates the strengthening of Ukrainian defences so that the next year, the campaign of 2024, will be successful and decisive.

The defeat of the Russians and the inability to maintain control over Crimea are essential for the well-being of all European nations. Our collective interest is to see Ukraine diminish Russia’s aggressive capabilities; targeting key Russian assets is imperative.

Crimea is a part and parcel of our theory of victory. It is decisive terrain that will bring our joint victory closer. It paves the way for sustained peace in Europe, making the liberation of Crimea our shared imperative objective.