Annexation of Crimea – seizure of territories without a declaration of war: realities of the 21st century

Abstract

The thesis focuses on the main international legal aspects of the annexation by one State, namely the Russian Federation, of a part of another sovereign State, Ukraine. The annexation of the Crimean Peninsula is the first forced border shift of a State in Europe. The invading State justifies these actions by referring to the ethnic and historical ties between Russia and Crimea, basing its aggression on the right of peoples to self-determination. The peaceful coexistence of States and various nationalities within the European Union, the United States, Asia and the Middle East is now under threat. This Bachelor thesis aims to study the issue of the forcible seizure of the Crimean Peninsula, the internal and external causes of this crisis, as well as possible measures to stabilize the situation and prevent such situations in the near future in the context of existing mechanisms of international law. The aim of this work is also to analyse the legal norms that legitimize the Crimean annexation by Russia, and international legal acts that confirm the fact that Russia violated most of the fundamental international documents.