Crisis in Ukraine: Russia Extends its Control over the Black Sea and Strategic Waterways | Global Research

Crisis in Ukraine: Russia Extends its Control over the Black Sea and Strategic Waterways | Global Research

The decision of  Crimea to join the Russian Federation has strategic and geopolitical implications.

The union of Crimea with Russia redefines both the geography as well as the geopolitical chessboard in the Black Sea basin. 

It constitutes a major setback for US-NATO, whose longstanding
objective has been to integrate Ukraine into NATO with a view to
undermining Russia, while extending Western military presence in the
Black Sea basin.

With the March 18, 2014 Treaty signed between Russia and Crimea, the
Russian Federation will extend its control over the Black Sea as well
over the Sea of Azov, the West coastline of which borders on Eastern
Ukraine and the Donesk region. (see map below) 

Under the agreement between Russia and Crimea announced by president
Putin, two “constituent regions” of Crimea will join the Russian
Federation: the “Republic of Crimea” and the “City of Sevastopol”. Both
will have the status of “autonomous regions”.

The status of Sevastopol as an autonomous entity separate from Crimea
is related to the location of Russia’s Naval base in Sevastopol.

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia retained its naval
base in Sevastopol under a bilateral agreement with Ukraine. With the
signing of the March 18th Treaty, that agreement is null and void.
Sevastopol including the Russian naval base become part of an autonomous
region within the Russian Federation. The naval base is no within
Ukraine under a lease agreement. Moreover, Crimea’s territorial waters
now belong to the Russian Federation.