With his defiant moves on Ukraine, the Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to change the rules of the game in international politics. By encircling Russia and turning Ukraine into a forward country for positioning NATO bases, the US is paving the way for fraternal genocide and ethnic cleaning. With its intervention in Crimea, Russia has challenged the US and its allies that the unipolar world order is not viable. Putin signed a bill on March 21, 2014 making Crimea a part of Russia. The Ukraine crisis has been called the return of the Cold War. Is the West back at its old game of containing Russia? Crimea’s overwhelming vote to rejoin Russia has been assailed by the US. China and India have been more circumspect. The issue of self-determination for disputed territories is controversial in international law. This paper focuses on the changing security dynamics in Central Europe and examines Russia’s resurgence and the challenges it poses, and also discusses the implications of Russia’s resurgence for US foreign policy.

The fall of the Berlin Wall led to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, reunification of Germany, disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the emergence
of a new security order in Europe. The security dynamics in Central Europe and the Western periphery of the post-Soviet space are in a state of flux today.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin restored Russia’s power and influence. Russia today has become a revisionist power and it seeks to reestablish its influence in Europe. It is Ukraine that is the real driving force behind Russian policy towards the Western periphery of the post-Soviet space. The outbreak of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine posed a serious threat to Russian interests. Personal rivalries and internal bickering inhibited Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

The autonomous region of crime became a point of potential friction. The Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) stationed in Sevastopol (Crimea) posed a potential source of friction. The BSF was granted port facilities under a 1997 accord between Russia and Ukraine which expires in 2017. The local population of Crimea strongly favors keeping the Russian fleet in Sevastopol. A poll conducted in December 2008 showed that 69.9% of the Crimean population favored extending the lease beyond 2017, while only 8.3% favored its departure by 2017 or earlier.

International Relations Journal, Ukraine Crisis, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Soviet Union, Black Sea Fleet (BSF), Sevastopol (Crimea), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Legal and Economic Dimensions