Issue № 82. October 2020

“Crimean Issue” in the Context of Ensuring National Interests and National Security of Modern Russia

PhD applicant, Department of History of the New Independent States, Faculty of History, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation. 
E-mail: 9605051@mail.ru

The article is devoted to the analysis of the Crimean Peninsula and Sevastopol problems in the context of ensuring national interests and national security of the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis of modern approaches to the study of national interest phenomenon and relevant approaches to ensuring Russia's national security, an assessment of the “Crimean issue” and its main parameters that are significant for maintaining stability on the southern borders of the Russian state is made. The aim of the article is to demonstrate the fundamental importance of a positive solution to the “Crimean issue” for Russia in order to realize the national interests and the national security of the country. To achieve the aim, the following issues were examined: the national interests of Russia in the context of the “Crimean issue”, threats to national security in the military and political, socio-economic, sociocultural and ethno-confessional spheres, the significance of the “Crimean issue” for changing international status of Russia. Systematic approach, a geopolitical approach, a retrospective method, comparative analysis and assessment of national security level were used as methods. The research shows that the reunification of Crimea with Russia was due to the desire of the Russian ruling elite to realize national interests and was a response to the security challenges. Security threats were localized in the military and political, socio-economic, sociocultural and ethno-confessional spheres. Some of them had a local character, some under certain conditions could reach a national scale. Pursuing a policy of consistent neutralization of the identified threats, the Russian Federation seeks to fully implement the principles of the national security strategy and at the same time pursue a proven policy of priority in resolving problems in the border regions.

Keywords

“Crimean issue”, Crimea, Russia, reunification, national interests, national security.

DOI: 10.24411/2070-1381-2020-10101