Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the fifth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea from Ukraine with a visit to the area. Putin began his trip Monday by overseeing the launch of two new power stations. He praised completion of the centers, which he said will cover up to 90 percent of Crimea’s power needs. Putin said, “Today another important step has been taken to strengthen the energy security of the Crimean Peninsula and of the whole south of the Russian Federation.” The power stations are part of a major effort to make a modern Crimea. It began after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The annexation of Crimea was condemned by the international community. The European Union (EU) and United States placed economic restrictions on Russia for the action. Ukraine says it wants Crimea back and most countries still recognize it as Ukrainian territory. Putin claims that Russia “re-integrated” Crimea after the ouster of Ukraine’s former pro-Russian president in 2014. He has said the action was necessary to protect ethnic Russians that make up the majority of Crimea’s population from Ukrainian nationalists. The annexation gave Russia hundreds of kilometers of coastline along the Black Sea. It also expanded Russian control over economic activities in the Sea of Azov and provided an opening to possible energy resources around the Black Sea. Last year, Putin attended the launch of another major development project – a bridge linking southern Russia to the Crimean city of Kerch. The 19-kilometer bridge cost $3.6 billion to build. A railroad bridge is also being built as Russia seeks to expand direct supply links to Crimea. Ukraine cut off energy to Crimea and blocked supply shipments from its territory after the annexation. While Putin was celebrating the 5th anniversary in Crimea, NATO and the European Union once again criticized the annexation. In a statement Monday, NATO allies said “we strongly condemn this act, which we do not and will not recognize.” The NATO allies also criticized Russia’s military buildup in Crimea. The statement also accused “Russian de-facto” officials in Crimea of carrying out human rights abuses. These included “arbitrary detentions, arrest, and torture” against members of the Crimean Tartar community, NATO said. The statement demanded that Russia “bring an immediate end to all violations and abuses in illegally annexed Crimea” and let international observational organizations into the area. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini repeated the organization’s position that Crimea remains a part of Ukrainian territory, saying Europe stands “in full solidarity with Ukraine.” I’m Jonathan Evans. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English based on reports from the Associated Press and Reuters. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story annexation – n. the taking of territory by a country, state, etc. reintegrate – v. restore to unity de-facto – adj. existing in fact, although not official or legal arbitrary – adj. not based on a system or principles and often seeming unfair<doc-sep>Five years after annexing Crimea from Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has celebrated the March 18 takeover by visiting the Black Sea peninsula with great pomp, enveloped in patriotic propaganda. But for many in Russia, watching the festivities was like a scene from “Mad Max: Fury Road” — while the glory is ballyhooed, the reality is scant. Though the annexation originally gave Putin a large jolt of popularity — the continual “Russia is great” rhetoric is now mostly exhausted. Serious political and economic crises are fast approaching. The nation’s resources have been depleted, and Putin’s “us against the world” version of the Russian future is proving unpopular. Five years after Crimea, people aspire to a normal, not “heroic,” life. History should teach every authoritarian that nationalism doesn’t last forever, because rhetorical greatness cannot pay the bills. History should teach every authoritarian that nationalism doesn’t last forever, because rhetorical greatness cannot pay the bills. Though the West’s post-annexation sanctions forced Russian entrepreneurship to come to the fore, in the past five years Russia’s disposable incomes have fallen for several years in a row. Eventually, people begin to care more about what is in their fridge than the pageant of Red Square parades. SIGN UP FOR THE THINK WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE To review: In 2014, bloody protests broke out in Kiev against President Victor Yanukovych’s Ukrainian government, which had canceled an economic agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties to Moscow. Even as Yanukovych fled to Russia, the Kremlin orchestrated a bloodless, but forceful, paramilitary takeover of the Crimean Peninsula. This region had been part of the Russian Empire for centuries — Russians consider it the Christian birthplace of what used to be known as Kievan Russia, a proto-state of Russia and Ukraine. But the Soviet Union had attached Crimea to its Ukrainian republic for managerial purposes, and they remained linked when the U.S.S.R. collapsed. Russians always fretted about their loss of Crimea, and — fast forward 60 years — when Putin returned it to the Russian fold, his then-waning popularity shot from 60 to nearly 90 percent. The president needed a bold move. After years of parading bare-chested across Siberia, swimming with dolphins and posing with rockets, his stunts had begun to feel stale. The country was sliding economically, and Russians were looking for a brighter future. In 2012, Putin’s third presidential term had been met with mass protests. The Kremlin settled on a strong-hand foreign policy to make up for domestic shortcomings. It worked. When the West issued sanctions against Russia, restricting finances for its businesses and specific officials, Putin’s standing got better, not worse. Opposition to the Kremlin’s harsh policies — controlling TV, intimidating opponents by legal and financial means, arresting political challengers — had been going strong in the early 2010s, but weakened because the sanctions ignited a surge in nationalism. To hit back at the West, the Kremlin imposed counter-sanctions. At first, the loss of Italian prosciutto, French cheese and Polish carrots looked disastrous. But it brought unintended consequences — boosting Russian agriculture. The country has become a formidable exporter of grain, turning the once-neglected sector around. Meanwhile, big construction projects — such as the bridge over the Kerch Strait connecting Russia’s and Crimean territory — as well as major oil and arms sales helped Russia’s gross domestic product grow by a modest two percent in 2018. Though this enabled the regime to remain afloat, it did little to benefit people’s personal finances. Moreover, in order to shore up government finances, the Kremlin adopted unpopular pension reform last summer. It also hiked taxes for most citizens — while sparing those oligarchs close to power. Russians poured into the streets in protest. But the state only doubled down on constricting people’s rights — perhaps because it counted on the coming Crimea anniversary to re-ignite patriotism. So, the Kremlin piled on yet more restrictions. Until recently, for example, the internet had remained a relatively free space for dissent and debate. But the government just passed a new law against “fake news” and has argued for creating a “sovereign internet,” following the Chinese example. By separating Russia’s internet from the world-wide web, Moscow aims to limit access, making it easier to target information that undermines the authorities. As in Soviet times, any criticism of the government can now be criminalized. With this censorship and repression, Putin follows Joseph Stalin’s model of walling off the Soviet Union. With this censorship and repression, Putin follows Joseph Stalin’s model of walling off the Soviet Union by building socialism in one separate country. In trying to build “sovereign” capitalism, Putin defeats the purpose of the free market — the flow of goods and services — which does not function in isolation. The increasing limits on global access and upward mobility are what now spark Russian discontent. The public is weary of the Kremlin’s efforts to foster worldwide divisiveness and animosity. Five years after Crimea, Russians no longer want to threaten — or annex — the world. They want to engage with it. This was evident during the World Cup last summer, when the Russian people discovered that friendship was a better currency than fighting. In fact, Putin’s law targeting opposition media and bloggers to block “fake news,” serves to undermine the authority of the authorities even more. How insecure they must be if they fear a critical Facebook re-post. Such actions make people less obedient, not more. Thousands protested pension reform in the fall. And in recent weeks, tens of thousands more went to the streets to defend their virtual freedoms. “If my online life is in jeopardy,” my 22-year old nephew told me, “I will defend it with my actual life.” The bad news for Putin is that five years after Crimea, there is no new Crimea to spur his popularity anew.<doc-sep>pic.twitter.com/IdqH8LpuTm Vladimir Putin met with members of the public of Crimea and Sevastopol https://t.co/aTGuGL4k3O March 18, 2019 Putin today, responding to a Jewish community member in Crimea: “So the Jews have problems with finances! Only such a thing could happen in Crimea” (forced laughter all round) He also tells him, in Hebrew, “thank you very much” https://t.co/fWNvW6wxFt March 18, 2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin might find himself the subject of antisemitic accusations after jokingly making use of a classic antisemitic trope on Monday.Speaking to members of the public in Crimea, Putin was told of difficulties in financing a synagogue in the disputed territory, and responded by saying “Jews have problems with finances? Only in Crimea such a thing could happen!” Washington Post reporter Anie Ferris-Rotman tweeted.The purported joke, linking Jews to finances, caused polite laughter and led to the Russian leader to say “Thank you very much” in Hebrew.This is not the first time Putin attempted to make jokes involving Jewish people.In 2017 he told a joke about the IDF.“"Do you want to hear a joke about the Israeli army?" he asked when speaking on a television panel about energy.And since it's Putin, he didn't wait for an affirmative response before continuing. "A young soldier is asked: 'If you see 20 terrorists, what would you do? '""'I would take an Uzi and shoot them.' 'Good.' 'What if a tank was coming at you?' 'I would take a rocket launcher and defend myself,'" Putin continued. "'And what if you see planes, tanks and terrorists together?' He replies: 'General, am I the only one in this army? '""So, I'd like to ask you: Am I the only one on this panel? Next to me are other people! "The crowd dutifully laughed and applauded.<doc-sep>
President Vladimir Putin has marked the fifth anniversary of what Moscow considers the day Crimea became part of Russia by visiting Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula, as NATO, the United States, and the European Union again condemned what they called the "illegal" land grab. On March 18, 2014, Putin signed a treaty that Moscow claims made Ukraine's Crimea region part of Russia, after Russian forces seized control of the peninsula and organized a referendum that was not recognized by the international community. Ukraine and the West have slammed Russia's move as an "illegal" annexation, leading to sanctions against Russian individuals and entities. The annexation of Crimea and Russia's role in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been fighting against Russia-backed separatists since April 2014, sent ties between Moscow and the West plunging to post-Cold War lows. The conflict in eastern Ukraine has left around 13,000 people dead, some 30,000 injured, and uprooted well over 1 million Ukrainian citizens, according to UN and Ukrainian officials. In Washington, Kurt Volker, the U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, called the fifth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea a "sad day." "This is an illegal occupation, an illegal seizure of territory, and we fundamentally stand behind Ukraine in insisting that its territorial integrity be restored," Volker told journalists. In a statement, NATO described the annexation of Crimea as "a serious breach of international law and a major challenge to Euro-Atlantic security." The Western military alliance's North Atlantic Council criticized Russia's "ongoing and wide-ranging military build-up" in Crimea, and raised concerns over its "efforts and stated plans for further military build-up" in the Black Sea region. The allies also accused the "Russian de facto authorities in illegally annexed Crimea" of carrying out human rights abuses against "Ukrainians, the Crimean Tatars, and members of other local communities," including "extrajudicial killings, abductions, enforced disappearances, violence, arbitrary detentions, arrest, and torture." They said that there would be no return to "business as usual" with Moscow until there was a "a clear, constructive change in Russia's actions." Meanwhile, Canada has announced a three-year extension of its 200-member military training mission in Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland saying that "Ukraine can continue to count on Canada's unwavering support." "It's very important to send a strong message to Ukraine, to the people of Ukraine, and to the international community that the invasion of Crimea and the annexation of Crimea are a grave breach of international law," the minister added. Since 2015, nearly 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained as part of the Canadian mission, which was due to expire at the end of the month. On the eve of the anniversary, EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini repeated the bloc's "steadfast" commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The "illegal" takeover of Crimea "remains a direct challenge to international security, with grave implications for the international legal order," Mogherini said in a declaration on behalf of the EU. Mogherini blamed Moscow for the deteriorating human rights situation in Crimea, saying that residents of the peninsula "face systematic restrictions of fundamental freedoms," while the rights of the Crimean Tatars have been "gravely violated." The United States, NATO, and the EU also called for the release of 24 Ukrainian sailors being held by Moscow. In November, Russia captured three Ukrainian ships and their crew members near the Kerch Strait, which links the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Russian officials have proclaimed March 18 as the Day of Crimea's Reunification with Russia. In Crimea, it is a public holiday. Posters celebrating the peninsula's "return to its native land" hung in shop windows and on public transport in the region's main city of Simferopol. Putin used his visit to Crimea to officially open two new power stations, which he said will fully cover the region's needs after Ukraine cut off energy supplies to the peninsula following its annexation by Moscow. The power stations in Sevastopol and Simferopol were partially launched last year, but the official inauguration marked the moment they began working at full capacity. The two power stations were at the center of an international scandal after German conglomerate Siemens said its power turbines had been installed there without its knowledge and in violation of EU sanctions banning the supply of energy technology to Crimea. The EU widened sanctions against Russian companies and people in 2017 in response to the transfer of the turbines to the Russian-occupied region. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the decision an "unfriendly and unjustified" step.