... arranged by the self-proclaimed Crimean authorities resulted in 96,77% of people voting in favor of the integration of Crimea and Sevastopol into the Russian Federation[3]. The absorption of Crimea became effective on March 18, after President Vladimir Putin ... ... with a majority of Russian-speaking people[4], under Russia’s sovereignty, and appears as a particular chapter of the Ukrainian crisis.
Crimea and Sebastopol’s annexation fundamentally overthrows the strategic balance of the Black Sea, allowing ...
.... Consequently, since 1991, Black Sea Fleet vessels’ maintenance has been performed by Baltic shipyards (either in Kaliningrad or in Saint Petersburg), and by Bulgarian shipyard (Varna), and, occasionally, by the Ship Repair Plant n° 13 in Sevastopol. This precarious maritime situation was one of the factors, with tensed relations with Kiev around the basing of the Black Sea fleet in Crimea, poor conditions for the personnel and unsufficient supply of new hardware to quote a few, that hampered ...
... 877V), 3 frigates (Projects 61M, 1135 and 1135M), 7 amphibious ships (Projects 775 and 1171), and several small units (antisubmarine warfare boats, small missile or artillery boats). Nearly 90% of the tonnage of the fleet is based in Crimea, mainly in Sevastopol (80%), and in Feodossia (9%)[1]. In 2014, the overall average age of the around 40 combat units is 36 years. The Black Sea Fleet is served by 12 000 to 16 000 service men dispatched primarily in Crimea, but in other naval and air assets such ...
... will undoubtedly weigh on the Russian Federal budget as well as on Russia’s economic growth.
What will be the Impact on Russia’s Economy?
Beyond economic sanctions adopted by most of the Euro-Atlantic community against Russia due to the Ukrainian crisis, the integration of the peninsula and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation is likely to have a substantial cost for Russia’s economy in the short and middle term.
Most of the Russian growth forecasts predicted in early 2014 had to be reassessed in light of the integration of Crimea ...
