368 Marxsen
ZaöRV 74 (2014)
All parties to the conflict refer to international law to justify their positions.
The Crimean authorities and Russia claim a legal basis for a Russian
intervention in Crimea and a right to secession while the majority of states
rejects that claim. How, after all, do the actions towards Crimea’s secession
have to be qualified under international law? To which extent has Russia
violated international law and what is the current status of Crimea?
In order to address these questions, this paper starts with a brief introduction
into the background of the current escalation (I.) and then reviews
the legal obligations between Ukraine and Russia regarding their territorial
integrity and the prohibition of the use and threat of force (II.). Third, it
discusses the legality of the Russian intervention in Crimea (III.), and,
fourth, the Crimean secession from Ukraine (IV.). Answers to the questions
raised will then be provided in the Conclusion (V.).