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Konstantin Zatulin
, Director, Institute of CIS
Countries
This is a very rare case in Russia's history since 1991
when it made full use of "soft power," of which it
learned not so long ago and which we in Russia
began to seek, organize and try to put on a serious
government footing. To my mind, the only instance
of serious employment of "soft power" by Russia,
in more than 20 years after the breakup of the Soviet Union, is the returning of Crimea
and Sevastopol.
It would be of course unnatural to be a Sevastopol resident, walk past the Monument to
the Scuttled Ships every day without knowing what caused the Crimean War and what its
consequences were. This is why the idea of de-Russification proved hard to carry into
effect right from the start because people of many generations still remember past history.
The Donetsk and Lugansk regions were for more than 30 years constituent parts of Soviet
Ukraine and went through Soviet Ukrainization in the 1920s-1930s. As the people in these
regions faced the harsh reality, they became split up into those who would like to join
Russia and those who would like federalization of Ukraine.
No such split was seen in Crimea, much less in Sevastopol. I say what I think in the perfect
knowledge that present here are not only delegates from Russia.
Today, Crimea has new taxes, norms and tariffs; all these norms are tougher than in Ukraine
and costlier. Traffic fines have doubled in size. Whereas traffic cops sent from Russia to
Crimea didn't initially take bribes, as do the local cops, today they do but only at a double
rate. One ought to say that all types of bribery are on the up. Dmitry Kozak, who now
works in Crimea, has a chart showing what there was under Ukraine and what is there
today. We must deal with these problems as quickly as possible and start resolving others.
I think it would take a long time for Crimea before it feels at home as part of Russia, for
Russia and Crimea to get fully familiar with each other, and for developing a tactful and
gentle attitude to Crimea's uniqueness in all respects.
Vladimir Kazarin
, Professor, Taurida National V.I.
Vernadsky University
CRIMEA'S CULTURE has been pro-integration at
all times and periods. It is therefore highly important
for Simferopol and Moscow not to harm Crimea's
cultural environment on the crest of the reintegra-
tion wave.