Five years after Crimea’s illegal annexation, the issue is no closer to resolution

Ukrainian soldiers drive a military vehicle with a torn Ukrainian flag at a checkpoint near Slaviansk in eastern Ukraine July 3, 2014. About half the 130,000 residents of Slaviansk are thought to have fled since fighters who want eastern Ukraine incorporated into Russia took control of the city in April, a month after Moscow annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. Since then, government forces trying to end the rebellion in towns and cities across the Russian-speaking region have pounded separatist positions in and around Slaviansk. Picture taken July 3, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Kravchenko/Pool (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - GM1EA7414HR01

March 18 marks the fifth anniversary of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, which capped the most blatant land grab in Europe since World War II. While the simmering conflict in Donbas now dominates the headlines, it is possible to see a path to resolution there. It is much more difficult with Crimea, which will remain … Continue reading Five years after Crimea’s illegal annexation, the issue is no closer to resolution

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