Ukraine’s True History: Who does Crimea really belong to?

Crimea has long been a cornerstone of the Russian imperial narrative, with the country’s centuries-long propaganda placing Russia as the “rightful historical owner“ of the Ukrainian peninsula. After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Russian propaganda has successfully spread the narrative of Russia’s “return“ of a “historic Russian land“ among the international public, with many Western leaders soon abstaining from asserting that Ukraine must get the peninsula back. This chapter of Ukraine’s True History will explore the historical context that led to Crimea as it is today and answer why Russia doesn’t have a “historic right“ to annex Ukrainian Crimea. #ukraine #ukrainianhistory #historyofukraine #historyfacts Photos and videos used in story: Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images PHAS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Universal Images Group via Getty Images The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Sean Gallup/Getty Images Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Oleksandr Klymenko Facebook/Air Force Command of UA Armed Forces Crimean Solidarity Viktor Pobedynskyi/UNIAN