ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the Crimean issue between Ukraine and Russia and, in particular, on the contradictory elements it entails. It highlights the events surrounding the 2014 occupation and annexation of Crimea. The chapter also highlights the importance of the prohibition of annexation in contemporary international law. It describes the reactions of the international community and whether it is possible to separate the democratic processes from Russian occupation. The process which led Crimea to become part of Russia was marked by both intolerable interference by a powerful neighbouring state and overwhelming numbers of democratic consultations. In the new course of the Ukrainian history of Crimea, issues about its special status emerged before the collapse of the Soviet Union and during the negotiations on the separation between Ukraine and Russia, and saw the emergence of the Crimean autonomy movement.
