Students Discuss Crimean Conflict

Although the political and military conflict raging in Crimea may seem far away, its effects have been felt on campus by many Russian and Ukrainian students alike. Despite widespread disapproval from global leaders, on March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed the Eastern European nation after voters in Crimea, a semiautonomous region of the Ukraine, declared their independence.“I was personally not affected by the events other than emotionally,” senior Lena Kashtelyan, who is from St. Petersburg, said. “But it is hard for me to see that the country, which used to be an integral part of Russia culturally and mentally, driving themselves into a very bad situation out of which they will have no good way out.”Kashtelyan continued, noting the toll the crisis has taken on her friends and family in Europe.“I know many people back home who are incredibly hurt by what is going on and have fallen into deep depressions lamenting the casualties of the conflict,” she said. “Those with families in Ukraine are being hurt in particular.”Although balancing school work, extracurricular activities and free time is already difficult for most Exonians, certain students at Exeter who have some sort of connection to the current strife in Eastern Europe have also had to deal with the situation erupting in their home nation.Senior Max Sak, whose father’s side is Ukrainian, shared a similar emotional investment in the Crimean conflict. “I have family there still in Kiev, my father is from the Soviet Union, and I speak Russian, so it matters a good deal to me,” he said.Senior Phillip Decker, half of whose family is Russian, expressed his discomforts about the situation.“I was in Russia over spring break, and witnessed the Crimean referendum on Russian television. Of the many times I have returned to this country, never have I seen it so glaringly nationalistic and anti-Western," Decker said. "Propaganda blares relentlessly from television screens; the United States, NATO, EU and the interim Ukrainian government is called everything from imperialist to fascist. I sincerely hope the situation calms, as I still have family in Russia."No matter the descent of these Eastern European Exonians, their views of the situation are often similar. “I actually support Putin. I think Crimea is part of Russia ethnically and culturally,” Sak said. “Given that the first act of the unelected government was to abolish the minority status of the Russian language, as a Russian speaker, I'm glad that Putin intervened to protect Russians in Ukraine from an unrepresentative government.”Sak pointed to the acts of the new Ukrainian government, which came about when under pressure by Ukrainians and the European Union, Ukrainian President Yanukovych agreed to transfer over the government to the parliament and the temporary leader.Kashtelyan, after discussing with other people, held a similar opinion about the situation. “Over this break I talked to many people who have families in Crimea or are simply older and remember Crimea being a part of Russia,” Kashtelyan said. “From talking to all those people and trying to learn about Ukraine's new government, I came to believe that the predominantly Russian-populated Crimea would have a very hard time under the new nationalistic anti-Russian government in Ukraine.”Following this logic, Kashtelyan came to the conclusion that although the circumstances are ambiguous, Russia made the right decision. “I think Russia did the right thing by annexing Crimea. Obviously, Russia's actions cannot be considered lawful in this situation; however, the Ukraine's new government is not lawful either,” Kashtelyan said. “They are dragging Ukraine in a long-term turmoil in which Russian-populated Crimea would suffer more than anyone else.”Sak also noted the unclear nature of the clash between Crimea and Russia. “Putin's method might be very questionable, but I do not think what the West is doing in Ukraine is right either,” he said.Decker reiterated the ambiguous essence of the conflict with his dual-sided view. “Crimea has a sizeable Russian majority and had been part of the Russian Empire for centuries; whereas in the Soviet Union the difference between Ukraine's government and Russia's government was barely noticeable, today there are two very distinct countries with conflicting interests,” Decker said. “Crimea's wish to join the Russian Federation and Putin's willingness to comply are not without some historical justification.”Decker said that he was mindful of where Putin was at fault. “I also believe Putin to be hypocritical: he supports the severance of political ties, Ukraine's territorial control of Crimea, on the basis of culture, ethnicity and language, the Russian-speaking majority in Crimea. If this is the case, he should by the same exact logic support a referendum in Chechnya—but that will never happen, because he would be on the losing end of the vote,” he said.Shortly following the annexation, this past Monday, a group of eight powerful nations, known as G8, ousted Russia from the forum in response to President Putin’s appropriation of Crimea, and others in the international community have called for greater acts of justice. Recently, the tension increased when US President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order stating that sanctions on several high-profile Russian Bankers and banks will be utilized to deter further encroachment on Ukrainian soil by Russian forces.“This case will obviously be setting a precedent, since countries, like Crimea, should not be able to vote themselves into being annexed by some other country,” Kashtelyan said. “This is why it is right for America and Europe to launch sanctions against Russia, so that others who might want to follow Crimea's example remember that they may not do so without being substantially punished.”In this way, Kashtelyan believes both Russia and The US are following correct procedure even though they supposedly are in disagreement. “Both Russia and the US are doing the right thing,” Kashtelyan said. “Russia will annex Crimea, saving it from the Ukrainian government, and the US will impose sanctions, making sure that this case does not set a precedent.”As much as students and faculty deliberate over the Russia/Crimea topic with their own opinions, it appears difficult to judge the situation without having any personal ties to family or friends that are involved. “Anyone who does not live in Russia would have a hard time understanding how close Russia and Ukraine are. I also have been to Crimea many times and know that it is almost all Russians that live there,” Kashtelyan said. “For an outsider the situation looks simply as Russia invading Ukraine, which may not be so.”The Washington Post, New York Times, and Reuters contributed to this report.