Ksenia SOBCHAK: “Crimea is Ukrainian”

Ksenia Sobchak, who recently announced her intention to run for president, held a press conference at which, in particular, the question of the status of Crimea was raised.

 “I will speak my mind in a straightforward manner and without evading a clear answer. From the standpoint of international law, Crimea is Ukrainian. Full stop. Now, let us talk about it,” Sobchak was quoted as saying by the Dozhd broadcaster, and added: “How this will happen, what will happen next, how people in Crimea will get on with their lives. Because this, in fact, is very important. How will these people return to Ukraine tomorrow? There really is a huge number of Russian people there who really support the annexation. But to this specific question, I give a specific answer: we have broken our word, we violated the Budapest Memorandum of 1994. We promised and we did not fulfill that promise. Full stop.”

Let us recall that after Crimea was annexed by Russia, Sobchak’s position was vague. She even indulged in justifying Vladimir Putin’s actions, arguing that he “did what he had to do as president.” At the same time, she clearly retreated from that stance by saying that the country would suffer from the consequences of his decision for many years in the international arena, because Russia had violated international treaties and undermined the security system in Europe overall. Sobchak’s statements place her in the liberal opposition sector of Russian politics, while leaving her a room for maneuver regarding her stance.

 On the other hand, the very fact of Sobchak’s appeal to international law testifies to the correct approach taken by the presidential candidate on this issue and is a message of sorts to the entire Russian people about the basic starting points of statements and decisions without which Russia will continue to remain a “barbarian” in the international arena. Although at this stage, it looks like Sobchak’s activity is there to hide this barbarism to some extent. Like, “Look, we have an opposition as well.”

What other features are there? Firstly, Sobchak’s election campaign offers a fresh image in terms of her appearance. At least, there was nothing like this at previous presidential elections in Russia. Secondly, given that her father Anatoly Sobchak had a great influence on Russian politics at one time (future president Putin was carrying Sobchak Sr.’s briefcase then), we can speak of certain continuity. Thirdly, Igor Malashenko, who once headed the election headquarters of Boris Yeltsin, became election manager for Sobchak, which only adds to symbolism.