Even in the wayback machine , this link from the wayback Crimea page had been edited TODAY ...so I went to a list of old edits for the page and got this older version of the page...I suspect this may be one of the reasons for the needed regime change in the Ukraine....Crimea is an autonomous republic... its govt is not that of the ousted Ukrainian regime. It is my belief at the present time that the " The 'West' and Ukraine want Ukraine to either 'take control' of this autonomous Republic whose inhabitants are mostly Russian ... or , even more likely , to take control of this city, Sevastopol
The city of Sevastopol is located within the autonomous republic of Crimea, but it has a special municipality status in Ukraine. I will come back to this a little further down...
. Sevastopol is the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, AND the Ukrainian Naval HQ is also based in the city. Read the article to see how we got to the point of having Naval Headquarters of 2 countries here
These two navies(Russian AND Ukrainian---) now share some of the city's few harbours and piers, while others were demilitarized or controlled by one country.
KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER AND UNDERSTAND:
BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE A NAVAL HEADQUARTERS IN THIS CITY!!!!!
BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE SHARED AND HAVE A SHARE IN THIS UNIQUE CITY WITH ITS UNIQUE STATUS.*
AND FOR THE MOST PART BOTH COUNTRIES HAVE PEACEABLY COEXITED THERE!
Now, to continue:
As was stated before, Sevastopol is located within the autonomous republic of Crimea, but it has a special municipality status in Ukraine.
THIS 'special municipality status' is the source of the 'sticky wicket'... it seems to be that the city is both a part of the autonomous republic AND a part of Ukrainian system of govt with in some of its administration., hence its unique status*
it seems to be that is in the unique position of being a part of the autonomous republic of Crimea, geographically at least, AND to be part of a Ukrainian system of govt within SOME of its administration and a part of Russian governance in other areas of its administration.... and yet, ... and yet, I say, in reality it is also separate in ways from all of them.... a VERY UNIQUE city!
However, the reality of its governance is different from the formality of its governance. (Well, isn't that always the case! ...But I am talking about something that is even much more different than the normal dichotomy that usually exists between the reality and the formality in all systems.
The reality of Sevastopol's governance is broken down between both Russia and the Ukraine, as both countries that have Headquarters of Naval fleets there.... However, this differs from the'formal status' brokered by the bilateral "Peace & Friendship" treaty, stating that the bottom line is that Sevastopol belongs to Ukraine. BUT, of course, that is NOT the only line in the treaty...there is much more to it than that....(However, I suspect that is the line that the US and the rest of the 'WEST' are INTERESTED IN AND perhaps it even has something to do with the 'need for a regime change in Ukraine'. in the first place.)
Ukrainian-appointed authorities retain formal control of Sevastopol's life (such as of taxation and civil policing), while trying to avoid confrontation with base command and Moscow-oriented groups. A few years ago the Communist-dominated city council rejected EBRD loan for renovation of Sevastopol's poor sewage system, declaring the project intended to increase the city's dependence on the Ukrainian government and the West.
I believe that the Russian ships have a right to defend their own interest and if the need arises,I believe that they will also defend the right of Crimea to remain an autonomous republic against Ukraine and against the meddling of the US.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THIS IS RUSSIA'S BUSINESS.
THIS IS CRIMEA'S BUSINESS!
THIS IS UKRAINE'S BUSINESS!
IT IS NOT OUR BUSINESS!
IT IS NOT THE "WEST'S BUSINESS!
DO NOT BUY INTO THE MEDIA SETUP! They have not had a 'come to Jesus' moment and suddenly become truthful and altruistic.... There seems to be something there that we want badly or at least want access to...
THE CITY OF Sevastopol IS THE BUSINESS OF THE Ukraine, its autonomous, Republic , the Crimea and Russia...It is between them!
NONE OF THIS IS OUR BUSINESS!!!!
Although my research is still in the beginning stages,this is how I see it so far.
How much research have YOU done?
Please don't be a mindless puppet just accepting the soundbites that are fed to you by the media circus ,the purpose of which is to stir up an emotional response of both righteousness and fear, but it is a false righteousness and it is a baseless fear that is based on twisted facts, outright lies and glaring omissions; It is meant to arouse misplaced hatreds and baseless fears! It is perhaps even meant to set the stage for yet another meddling maneuver if not an outright military action, where we Claim to be the righteous defenders but in truth, we are actually the unrighteous selfcentered aggressors.
Russia is not the bad guy here....WE ARE!
But regardless of whether or not you agree with that, it would only take a little research for anyone to see and understand this simple fact: IT IS NOT OUR BUSINESS!
I welcome any honest researched intellectual disagreement with any or all of my assessments....but if you just spout the mindless soundbites from the news ,beating the drums of war, then I can neither respect your opinionhonest.
nor take it seriously...
I am not saying this to be mean or condescending.... I know that the majority is most likely buying into this media hype... and I am just being
Think for yourself!
Stop believing the baseless rhetoric simply on its own merit!
Do your own research.
Sevastopol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AlexPU (talk | contribs) at 14:20, 25 December 2004. It may differ significantly from the current revision. |
| Sevastopol’ city місто Севастополь  | |
|---|---|
| population total density urban | 328,600 (2004) 420/km² 94.2% |
| area | 900 km² |
| raions cities city districts urban-type localities villages | - 2 4 1 29 |
| includes town of Inkerman, Kacha urban-type locality, and rural councils | |
The unique geographic location and navigation conditions of the city's harbours make Sevastopol an ever-important naval point.
It is also a popular seaside resort and tourist destination, mainly for visitors from the CIS countries.
The trade and shipbuilding importance of Sevastopol's port is growing since the fall of the Soviet Union despite the difficulties that occur from the joint military control over harbours and piers.
Also, Sevastopol is an important center of marine biology. In particular, studying and training of dolphins has been developing in the city since the end of the World War II, initially as a secret naval program of using these animals in underwater special operations.
Contents
[hide]Political status and subdivision
Administratively, Sevastopol is a municipality independent from surrounding Crimean autonomy (see Subdivisions of Ukraine for more details). It is further subdivided into 4 raions. Some of the raions include dependent towns and village (rural) communities that were subsumed by Sevastopol earlier, the most notable among those being Balaklava, Inkerman and Kacha.History
Sevastopol is probably the most famous naval citadel in the world.Sevastopol was founded in 1783, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula. It became an important naval base and later a commercial port. It was besieged by the British and French during the Crimean War, falling after 11 months. A panorama created by Franz Roubaud, and restored after its destruction 1n 1942, is housed in a purpose-built building, and depicts the situation at the height of the siege, on 18 June 1855.
During WW II Sevastopol withstood an Axis siege for 250 days in 1941–42. It was awarded the title of Hero City in 1945.
While part of the Soviet Union, the city was not incorporated in the Crimean Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR, but was formally subordinate to Kiev (actually to Moscow).
In 1957, the town of Balaklava was incorporated into Sevastopol.
According to a 1997 treaty, the Russian naval base is declared to be "located in Sevastopol" on the terms of lasting rent, following a long diplomatic and political dispute between Russia and the newly independent Ukraine. At first, Moscow refused to recognize Ukrainian sovereignty over Sevastopol as well as over surrounding Crimean oblast, arguing that city was never practically integrated into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic due to its military base status. This was later resolved by the bilateral "Peace & Friendship" treaty, stating that Sevastopol belongs to Ukraine.
Despite this, naval base command and Russian-backed organizations actually control the city, dominating its business and cultural life. Russian society (including highest statesmen) in fact never agreed with the loss of Sevastopol, considering it as temporarily parted from their country. Moscow City authorities, guided by Mayor Luzhkov, continuously sponsor pro-Russian social, educational and cultural activities in Sevastopol (especially those related to Russian Navy servicemen and their families). These activities are directed to promote the city's practical independence from the rest of Ukraine. While Ukrainian-appointed authorities retain formal control of Sevastopol's life (such as of taxation and civil policing), trying to avoid confrontation with base command and Moscow-oriented groups. A few years ago the Communist-dominated city council rejected EBRD loan for renovation of Sevastopol's poor sewage system, declaring the project intended to increase the city's dependence on the Ukrainian government and the West.
The ex-Soviet Black Sea Fleet with all facilities was divided between Russia's Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy after a continuous struggle. Two navies now share some of the city's few harbours and piers, while others were demilitarized or controlled by one country. Sevastopol remains the home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Headquarters, while Ukrainian Naval HQ is also based in the city. A judicial row continues over naval hydrographic infrastructure (see hydrographic office) in Sevastopol and on the Crimean coast (especially lighthouses used in civil navigation support).
External links
- "Narodny Oglyadach" ezine reports on morale situation in Russian naval base in Sevastopol : http://observer.sd.org.ua/news.php?id=3962
- BBC News reports on WWII bomb destroyed in Sevastopol: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3470099.stm
- BBC News reports on Russian Navy in Sevastopol:[1][2][3][4]
