What does Crimea mean to Russia?
speech about the reunification of Crimea and Russia. A referendum held
in Crimea two days before in full compliance with standard democratic
procedures and the rules of international law, shocked many by it’s
results: there was an 82% turnout rate, with almost 97% of those casting
their ballots in favor of reunification with Russia. These numbers
were so astonishing that there still seem to be many people in the West
who cannot bring themselves to believe how much the Crimeans truly
longed to return home. And indeed, without an awareness of this land’s
heroic history that has been so liberally washed in Russian blood, this
public enthusiasm might seem irrational, or even artificial.
- Baptism of St. Grand Prince Vladimir in Chersonesus in 988 AD (icon).
what Russia has always meant to Crimea, as well as vice versa. This
common history and pride emanates from literally every place and object
in Crimea. The ancient Greek city of Chersonesus, where in 988 AD St.
Grand Prince of Kiev Vladimir was baptized, was founded here. It would
truly be difficult to overstate the significance this fabled region
holds for Russia. The colony was established on the Crimean Peninsula by
the ancient Greeks, 500 years before the birth of Christ. The footsteps
of St. Andrew, one of Jesus’ original disciples, who is known as ‘the
apostle to the southern, eastern, and northern shores of the Black Sea’,
are found here. Crimea is the place where the blood of Apostle Peter’s
disciple St. Clement was spilled for Christ, consecrating the
soon-to-be-Christian Rus’ and here the apostles of the Slavic people,
St. Cyril and Methodius, preached the Gospel. Prince Vladimir’s
conversion to Christianity in the Crimean city of Chersonesus paved the
way for the Russian civilization and made an invaluable contribution to
world history and culture.
In the tenth century, Russian princes founded the Tmutarakan
principality on the shores of the Black and Azov seas, which sat on the
Crimean shore on the Kerch Peninsula, along with the city of Korchev
(now known as Kerch). This was the historical period during which the
Slavs of Kievan Rus gradually put down roots throughout Crimea. It was
in Old Crimea, Sudak, Mangup, and Chersonesus that the Slavs comprised
the most significant part of the population.
Tmutarakan quickly become the world’s second most important port,
after Constantinople, through which passed almost all 11th-12th century
trade routes that crossed the sea or steppe. The son of Grand Prince
Vladimir, Mstislav, who ruled the principality until 1036, consolidated
and expanded its borders. At the end of the tenth century, the remnants
of the restored Byzantine Bosporan Kingdom were incorporated into the
principality. Much later, a marble slab was found on the Taman
Peninsula with an inscription dating to 1068:
“In the summer of 6576 [since the creation of the world, which corresponds to the year 1068 - OR] Prince Gleb measured across the frozen sea, from Tmutarakan to Korcheva, 14,000 sazhen” [which is about 28 km - OR].
As the Cuman people increasingly intruded into Rus’ at the end of the
11th century, Tmutarakan was virtually cut off from Kievan Rus’ and
lost its independence, by 1094 finding itself under the rule of the
Cumans, Byzantium, the Golden Horde, Genoa, and Turkey.
- Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
Crimea returned to Russia. It was the Russian Empire’s dominion over
Crimea that rescued the ruins of Chersonesus, so sacred to Russian
history, from complete oblivion. The Empress, with the willing
assistance of Prince Grigory Potemkin, is remembered for founding a
naval base, which was named Sevastopol, in Akhtiar harbor (now known as
the Bay of Sevastopol). The history of Sevastopol tells the remarkable
story of Russian military valor and fortitude.
Sevastopol, Balaklava, Kerch, Malakhov Hill, and Sapun Ridge are
landmarks that embody Russian military glory and true valor. Each of
them has been bathed in the blood of the soldiers who battled fearlessly
there to defend a future of peace. The 349 days of the heroic defense
of Sevastopol during the Crimean War will forever be commemorated in the
histories of Russia and of these two kindred peoples, as will the
250-day defense of the city during WWII.
The armies of Britain, France, Turkey, and Sardinia (Italy) invaded
the Crimean Peninsula in 1854. On Sept. 13, this city, which had never
before faced aggression from any direction but the sea, found itself
under siege. Fortifications and gun batteries were constructed while
under fire from enemies who held an overwhelming advantage in troops and
cannons. The city’s defense was directed by the commander of the Black
Sea Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Kornilov, and his subordinate, Vice Admiral
Pavel Nakhimov. Five battleships were sunk in order to prevent the
enemy from gaining entry to Sevastopol Harbor, and naval guns and crews
arrived to join the defenders. The tenacity and patriotic fervor of the
Russian soldiers, sailors, and townspeople astonished the world. On
Oct. 5 the invaders began the first bombardment of Sevastopol, during
which the city’s defenses suffered no great losses, but Admiral Kornilov
was mortally wounded. The hub of the defense then shifted to Malakhov
Hill. On March 28, 1855 the invaders began a second assault. Although
at the cost of a large number of casualties, they succeeded in pressing
our positions. The third and fourth assault ended in the same way as
the previous onslaughts, but on June 28 Vice Admiral Nakhimov was killed
during an exchange of gunfire. The French General Jean-Jacques
Pélissier, the commander of the allied forces, was ordered by Napoleon
III to capture the fortress, regardless of the toll. After the fifth
(!) and equally unsuccessful (!) attack, the allied forces began to
prepare for a decisive strike on the half-destroyed Russian
fortifications. The sixth and final assault on Sevastopol began on Aug.
27. The barrage involved eight French and five British divisions, plus
one brigade from Sardinia – a total of 60,000 combatants – who fought
against 40,000 Russians, most of whom had been diverted to the back line
of the defense. The fortunes of the battle shifted back and forth.
The French were able to capture and hold Malakhov Hill. At the order of
the commanding general, Mikhail Gorchakov, the defenders retreated to
the southern side of Sevastopol, blowing up the powder magazines and
sinking the remaining ships. This outward defeat at Sevastopol sapped
the strength of the invaders’ troops, and they were forced to agree to
peace negotiations on conditions that were far different from those they
had expected at the beginning of the war. The defense of Sevastopol –
the most vivid page in the history of the Crimean War – demonstrated
once again the indefatigable spirit of the Russian soldier and his
ability to fight even under the most difficult conditions of siege, when
there seemed no chance for deliverance.
After 87 years, a new siege, and again a heroic defense and
indefatigable spirit, awaited Sevastopol. Nazi troops invaded Crimea on
Oct. 20, 1941 and within 10 days had reached the outskirts of
Sevastopol. The city was not prepared in advance to defend itself from
an approach by land, but the attempt by the Germans and Romanians to
take it forthwith did not succeed. A stubborn defense of Sevastopol
began. Field fortifications were constructed as the fighting raged, and
supplies, reinforcements, and evacuations of the wounded and civilians
could only be carried out by sea, often under enemy air raids. On Nov.
4, all the Soviet forces banded together inside the city’s defensive
zone. On Nov. 11, with significant superiority in troops and artillery,
the enemy launched an offensive. After fierce battles and suffering
heavy casualties, the Germans ceased their frontal attacks on Nov. 21
and proceeded to lay siege to the city. On Dec. 17, seven German
infantry divisions and two Romanian brigades, far outnumbering the
Russian forces, launched a new offensive with tank support. The attacks
were rebuffed with the support of naval artillery fire, and any further
incursion was foiled when Russian troops landed in Kerch and Feodosia.
Moreover, by forcing the Germans to divert to Feodosia the 11th
Wehrmacht Army that was besieging the city under the command of General
Erich von Manstein, the Sevastopol regional defense battalions began a
partial offensive and had improved their position by March 1942.
- Alexander Deyneka’s painting “Defense of Sevastopol” (1942).
and air attacks. On the morning of June 7, the enemy launched a
punishing attack around the entire perimeter of the defensive zone.
After a fierce battle, the Russian troops abandoned Malakhov Hill on
June 30. But resistance continued on the outskirts of the devastated
city. The battle went on until July 4, and even as late as July 9 in
some areas. Most of the city’s defenders were killed or taken prisoner,
with only a few managing to make their way to the mountains to join the
partisans. The 250-day defense of Sevastopol, despite its tragic end,
showed the world that Russian soldiers and sailors were capable of
incredible sacrifices.
In the hearts and minds of the public Crimea has always been an
integral part of Russia. This belief, based on truth and justice, has
been unwavering. It has been something passed down from generation to
generation with no regard for either time or circumstances. Even the
dramatic changes experienced by Russia during the twentieth century were
powerless to alter this conviction. It would have been impossible for
anyone to imagine how Ukraine and Russia could be two different states.
But then the Soviet Union collapsed. Events progressed so quickly that
few at the time grasped the full drama of the unfolding events or their
consequences. And when Crimea suddenly became part of another country,
Russia felt that she had not just been robbed, but plundered. Millions
of Russians went to bed in one country and woke up in another,
transformed overnight into minorities within the former Soviet
republics. Thus the Russian nation became one of the biggest, if not the
biggest, partitioned nation in the world. But the populace was unable
to stomach this egregious historical injustice. During those years,
both common people as well as many public figures often raised this
issue, claiming that Crimea was native Russian soil and Sevastopol was a
Russian city. For 23 years Crimea has retained its Russian soul and
every Crimean has spent this time breathlessly waiting for the peninsula
to return home to Russia. And now it has happened – to general elation,
tears of happiness, and long-awaited joy – a triumph of historical
justice!
- Crimeans celebrating reunification with Russia, March 18, 2014.
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