Opinion
How Russia attempts to legalize the occupation of Crimea
Throughout the occupation, Russia has sought international legitimacy alongside its physical control of the Crimean peninsula. Narratives such as "Russia has a historical right to Crimea" or "the peninsula's residents chose to join the Russian Federation" continue to circulate in the international information space. Their spread is the result of Russia's deliberate and systematic policy, which occupation authorities refine annually. While previously limited to rhetoric from local Russia-insta
