As the Soviet Union dissipated in the 90’s the Tatars came home to what was now an independent Ukraine and faced crushing poverty and crap housing. Here’s a photo of a recent clash between pro-Russian Crimeans and Tatars:

Battles for land and political allegiances have always bubbled just beneath the surface. Russian politicians in Crimea constantly attempt to strengthen ties with mother Russia and the Tatars constantly vie for land that once was theirs.

Crimea does have its own parliament but with limited powers. The 1996 Ukrainian constitution basically says that Crimean legislation must be in line with that of Ukraine. So they’re kind of independent but not really.

So the area has seen more than its fair share of trouble and strife and once again tensions are rising. One of the biggest bones of contention surrounds the port of Sevastopol. Sevastopol is home to Russia’s mighty Black Sea Fleet and has been since the heyday of the Russian empire. After the dissolution of the USSR the fleet was split between Russia and Ukraine.

In 2008, Ukraine – then under the pro-Western President Viktor Yuschenko – demanded that Moscow not use the Black Sea Fleet during its conflict with Georgia and move it out of their waters by 2017. But when the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych came to power he extended the fleet’s lease for a further 25 years.

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