International reactions towards annexation Of Crimea By The Russian Federation

The anti-government protests began with the people's taking to the streets in Ukraine, after Yanukovich had not signed the agreement with EU at the end of the 2013 and it turned into a big domestic problem in a very short time. While Ukraine is trying to solve this problem, that Russian Federation sent its troops to Crimea in early March 2014 and annexed Crimea as a result of a so-called referendum in 16 March 2014, a domestic issue of Ukraine became an international problem. In addition to this the separatist movements supported by Russia in Eastern Ukraine made the issue much more complex. Russia's disturbance due to the unipolar order came into prominence in the area Russia called as its near abroad. It is possible to see this example in Georgia in 2008. The most important building block of Russia's geopolitical plan is Ukraine and even the idea of NATO and EU membership of Ukraine disturbs Russia. Because Ukraine is not only vital for Russian geopolitics, but also that of Eurasia. Since the World War II, for the first time borders in Europe has changed with the annexation of Crimea through invasion. Several countries and international organizations, especially U.S and EU, react to this invasion and annexation, and they imposed economic, political, and diplomatic sanctions which did not contain military action. In this thesis firstly Crimean history and historical connections which Russia alleged as the reasons for annexation will be discussed, then developments of West-Russia rivalry in Ukraine will be analysed. Main subjects of this thesis are the reactions to the annexation, sanctions after the reactions and analysis of these reactions. Keywords: Crimea, Russian Federation, Annexation, International Reactions, Geopolitics.