Russia says it may demand compensation from Ukraine over Crimea
The head of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said on March 17 that Russia may demand compensation from Ukraine for economic damage to the Crimean peninsula during the period when the peninsula was under Ukraine's control.
 |
| The Crimean peninsula is a "gift" from Russia to Ukraine. |
Specifically, Russia can demand economic compensation at the highest international level against Ukraine in connection with Kiev's actions in Crimea.
The Chairman of the Russian Duma (Lower House) Vyacheslav Volodin also previously proposed using the European Parliament's institutions to pressure Kiev into paying reparations to Ukraine.
Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov told reporters that working groups from the Duma and the Crimean State Council will next month begin assessing the damage to the peninsula, which has been cut off from electricity and water for several days by Ukrainian extremists after declaring independence from Ukraine.
 |
| Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to the Crimea bridge construction site. |
Russia has always maintained that Crimea was a part of Russia given to Ukraine and that since the 2014 coup the peninsula has effectively "returned to Mother Russia".
A turning point for Crimea was on February 19, 1954, when, at the proposal of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union issued a decree to transfer the Crimean province to Ukraine. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the political forces in power in Kiev increasingly showed themselves to be out of step with Moscow because of the "desire to move west", wanting to quickly integrate Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic space.
