              5 March 2014

Ukrainian crisis—a quick guide to key resources

Nicole Brangwin (with assistance from Toby Bellwood, Cameron Hill, Sue Johnson, Nina Markovic and Janet Phillips)

Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security

This Quick Guide provides Parliamentarians with a list of key resources and commentary about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Geography

The New York Times published a range of interactive maps illustrating where Russian forces are located in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the political and cultural boundaries of Ukraine, and the network of gas pipelines.

The UN’s cartographic section publishes detailed and themed maps of the world, including Ukraine.

United Nations (UN)

On 28 February 2014, ‘due to the deterioration of the situation in the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea…’ Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN requested an urgent meeting with the UN Security Council seeking support to prevent Russian military intervention. Subsequently, two meetings were held: the first on 1 March 2014 and the second on 3 March 2014. Coverage of any future UN Security Council meetings will be made available on the meetings coverage and press releases page of the Council’s website.

The UN News Centre publishes up to date information surrounding ongoing discussions among disputing parties, including UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s discussion with the Russian Foreign Minister on 3 March 2014.

Other UN agency websites that contain information on Ukraine include:

•        UN Development Programme (UNDP)

•        UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC)

•        UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

Ukraine

The website (English) of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations contains recent statements by the Ukrainian Ambassador to the UN, statements by Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister in response to Russian statements on the situation in Ukraine and general facts about Ukraine (including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea).

The Embassy of Ukraine in Australia website also contains news reports and statements such as outcomes from Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) sessions in response to the Russian President’s statement about the use of force in Ukraine.

The Ukraine Government website (English), the Parliament website (English) and the Acting President of Ukraine website (English) also provide up-to-date statements about the ongoing crisis, such as the statement by Prime Minister Arsenii Yatseniuk on 1 March 2014 that Russia was in violation of the ‘Agreement on the temporary stationing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine’.

Autonomous Republic of Crimea

The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has a functioning website (Ukrainian and Russian) however the English version does not appear to be accessible at the time of writing.

Russia

The Russian Federation’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations website (English) includes statements by the Russian Foreign Minister and Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN about the situation in Ukraine.

The Russian Government website (English), the Russian President website (English) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (English) also provide up-to-date statements about Russia’s involvement in Ukraine.

The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Australia posted a statement about the Russian Ambassador’s meeting with Australian officials over the situation in Ukraine.

United States

The White House website provides the latest Presidential speeches and remarks, press briefings and statements from the US Government, including details of the President’s calls to United Kingdom, Poland and German leaders about the Ukrainian crisis. On 4 March 2014, the White House released a fact sheet on international support for Ukraine such as the International Monetary Fund’s activities to stabilise the Ukrainian economy.

The US Department of State website offers information about US relations with Ukraine and recent press statements and details of visits to Ukraine by the Secretary of State, John Kerry. Secretary Kerry’s remarks in Kiev on 4 March 2014 are available on the website.

The website of the United States (US) embassy in Ukraine contains updates on the latest statements by the US on the situation in Ukraine, including the US President’s 4 March remarks.

On 4 March 2014, the US Treasury announced that it ‘is working with Congress and the Government of Ukraine to provide $1 billion in loan guarantees…’

European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

On 2 March 2014, NATO declared that Russia’s military escalation in Crimea ‘is a breach of international law and contravenes the principles of the NATO-Russia Council and the Partnership for Peace’. The NATO website discusses its relations with Ukraine, provides up-to-date press releases on current events as well as transcripts of recent speeches.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) website hosts a number of up-to-date press releases about ongoing talks, including a discussion about establishing a contact group to help overcome the crisis.

The European Union website provides information on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and contains details about EU-Ukraine relations. The EU website also publishes up-to-date press releases and statements about ongoing discussions with the Ukrainian Government.

The German Foreign Minister visited Washington in late February for discussions with US counterparts that included the political and financial stability of Ukraine. The German Foreign Office provides regular updates via press releases concerning the situation in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website discusses the development of relations with NATO, highlighting cooperative efforts such as the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Ukraine and NATO (1997) and the Declaration to Complement the Charter (2009).

Australia

Statistics

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection Community Information Summary illustrates the geographic distribution of Ukrainian-born people in Australia, including statistics about ancestry, language and religion.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) TableBuilder database (registration required) allows users to extract limited data on Ukrainian ancestry and country of birth by a range of geographic areas, including electorates. More detailed information can be obtained from the Library’s Statistics and Mapping Section.

Foreign Affairs

On 3 March 2014, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, summoned the Russian Ambassador to ‘explain the intentions of the Russian Government’ and allow the minister to express her concerns about the situation in Ukraine. The Australian Government ‘unequivocally supports the territorial integrity and the sovereignty of Ukraine’ and calls for a peaceful solution to the crisis. In a recent statement to Parliament, the Foreign Minister stated that the Government had ‘urged Russia to withdraw its troops, to step back from Ukraine and to de-escalate its activities that are persisting in this unfolding crisis’.

The Foreign Minister continues to update travel advice, with the most recent advice upgraded on 5 March 2014 urging Australians to reconsider travelling to Ukraine.

Commentary

Military

International Institute for Strategic Studies, ‘Chapter five: Russia and Eurasia’, The military balance, 2014, 114:1: states that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet leases ‘bases in Sevastopol and Karantinnaya Bay, and is based, jointly with Ukraine warships, at Streletskaya Bay’ (p. 188). This publication also identifies the size of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the number of deployed personnel (available from Library Catalogue).

M Davis, ‘The guns of March – Putin’s Ukraine gambit and the US rebalance to Asia’, Strategist, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 4 March 2014.

C Le Miere, Evaluating Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, International Institute for Strategic Studies, 3 March 2014.

J Marcus, ‘Ukraine: the military balance of power’, BBC World News, 3 March 2014.

Editorial, ‘Sevastopol: the Ukrainian port on Russia’s side’, Deutsche Welle, 27 February 2014.

Editorial, ‘Occupation of Crimean airports and possible state of emergency heighten risk of Russian military intervention in Ukraine’, Jane’s Intelligence Weekly, 28 February 2014 (available from Library Catalogue).

Foreign Affairs

Europa World, ‘Ukraine’, Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, accessed 4 March 2014.

S Roggeveen, ‘Ukraine and the perennial question of US “credibility” in the Asia Pacific’, Lowy Interpreter, 4 March 2014.

The independent Security Council Report provides insights into the deliberations of the UN Security Council, including the ‘Briefing on developments in Ukraine’ on 3 March 2014.

M Mardell, ‘Ukraine conflict sparks moral indignation in West’, BBC World News, 3 March 2014.

‘Debating how the US should respond to Moscow’s military moves in Crimea’, PBS Newshour, transcript, 3 March 2014.

S Walker, ‘Russian takeover of Crimea will not descend into war, says Vladimir Putin’, The Guardian, 3 March 2014.

S Charap and K Darden, Russia’s unclear motives in Ukraine, International Institute for Strategic Studies, 3 March 2014.

D Kingsbury, ‘Age of empires: Ukraine high-stakes chess game against Russian grandmaster’, Crikey, 3 March 2014 (also available from Library Catalogue).

Editorial, ‘Crimea spillover risk will rise as Kiev struggles’, Oxford Analytica Daily Brief, 28 February 2014 (available from Library Catalogue).

C Richardson, ‘The battle for the Crimea: Ukraine v Russia in bloody tug-of-war’, Crikey, 28 February 2014 (also available from Library Catalogue).

Editorial, ‘Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada confirms Yatsenyuk as Prime Minister’, The voice of Russia, 27 February 2014.

Editorial, ‘Facts you need to know about Crimea and why it is in turmoil’, RT, 27 February 2014.

H.A. Conley, The “consequences” for Ukraine and the Transatlantic Partnership, Center for Strategic & International Studies, 21 February 2014.

D Dalton, ‘Ukraine: Country report’, Economist Intelligence Unit, 14 February 2014 (available from Library Catalogue).

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