Thirteen years ago, on August 10, 2008, Ukraine threatened to prevent Russian warships that moved to blockade Georgia’s Black Sea coastline from returning to their Crimean base in Sevastopol, Ukraine. The move came following the five-day war between Georgia and Russia (August 8-12) that saw Russian armed forces pry two regions – South Ossetia and Abkhazia – from Georgian control.
“[Ukraine] has the right, in accordance with international law and the law of Ukraine, to forbid ships and vessels that may take part in a conflict to return to the territory of Ukraine until the conflict is resolved,” Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
President Viktor Yushchenko on August 13 – during an initial ceasefire between Georgia and Russia – signed a decree mandating that all Russian ships deployed from Sevastopol gain special permission to return to their base, according to the president’s website.
Additionally, the Russian Black Sea Fleet was required to submit to the Ukrainian government a letter of intent 10 working days before its planned return.
Ukraine, the United States and the European Union issued statements of condemnation against Russia’s invasion of Georgia, but none of the aforementioned were prepared to support Georgia militarily. Russia, however, accused Ukraine of providing military assistance to Georgia, while Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense stated that the arms sales to Georgia were in compliance with international laws and standards.
Many observers during the initial aftermath called Russia’s invasion of Georgia a lesson for Ukraine. Ukrainian Americans showed their support for Georgia by joining protest actions of hundreds of participants on August 9 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, on August 10 in Washington at the Georgian Embassy and at the Russian Embassy, and again on August 11 at the U.N. At the time, Ukrainians understood that if the international community remained silent in the face of Russian aggression toward Georgia, that Ukraine, specifically Crimea, could be the next target.
As a result of the five-day war, more than 400 Ukrainians had been transported back to Ukraine from Georgia, following advisories issued by Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The Ukrainian Weekly’s editorial wrote: “What can the West do? Remove Russia from the Group of Eight, suspend the NATO-Russia Council, stop Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organization and not allow Russia to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. If Russia wants to be a major player in international organizations, it must abide by their rules. Also, the West must insist on real peacekeepers – an international force, not Russia’s military – in the region. Plus NATO should extend Membership Action Plans to Georgia and Ukraine post-haste.”
President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia underscored in The Washington Post: “As Georgians come under attack, we must ask: If the West is not with us, who is it with? If the line is not drawn now, when will it be drawn? We cannot allow Georgia to become the first victim of a new world order as imagined by Moscow.”
Sources: “Ukraine plays key role in supporting Georgia,” by Danylo Peleschuk, “Ukrainian Americans support Georgia, condemn Russian aggression,” by Tamara Olexy (Ukrainian Congress Committee of America), “We are all Georgians,” The Ukrainian Weekly, August 17, 2008.