Causes and consequences of Russia’s aggression against the states of the Black Sea region in 2008 and 2014

Abstract

In accordance with the norms of international law, Russia’s actions against Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (2014) must be categorized as aggression. The aggressive policy of Russia is the result of its return to the authoritarian path of development and to the imperial policy of the past. A special attention should be paid at Russia’s policy in the area of managing low-intensity conflicts in the post-Soviet space, where it participates in dual role, as a conflicted party and a mediator. As a result of military intervention in Georgia and Ukraine, the aggressor (Russia) actually occupied South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Crimea and part of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Only in Crimea there was a direct annexation, whereas in other cases it was an attempt to proxy annexation and occupation of part of the territory of neighboring states. The asymmetry of potentials between Russia on the one hand and Georgia and Ukraine on the other hand does not allow the latter to independently resist Russian aggression and occupation. Therefore, the diplomatic, legal, economic and military support of the victims of aggression by the international community towards complying with the norms of international law, the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right to self-defense is very important and necessary.