Moscow Mayor Inflames Russian-Ukrainian Differences over Sevastopol


Richard Weitz | 27 May 2008

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov traveled to the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol May 10-11 to mark the 225th anniversary of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. During that weekend, he made several inflammatory comments to the effect that the port and city still legally belong to the Russian Federation. Luzhkov's remarks have further strained relations between Russia and Ukraine, which also differ on other issues, especially Ukrainian aspirations to join NATO.

The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) responded by designating the Moscow mayor persona non grata. The SBU claimed that Luzhkov ignored "a warning regarding the unacceptability of actions harming Ukraine's national interests and its territorial integrity." Ukrainian authorities had handed Luzhkov a note upon entry warning against violating Ukrainian laws. Luzhkov went on to denounce the warning, insisting that, "they won't shut me up. Crimea residents wanted to hear the truth." Ukrainian officials had repeatedly complained about earlier Luzhkov statements, as well as those of other politicians, that threatened Ukraine's independence. Even before Luzhkov's latest outburst, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had formally demanded that Russian authorities cease threatening Ukraine, calling these statements "direct interference in Ukraine's internal affairs." ...