Local Responses to the Contested Border in Northern Crimea

Regional Research of Russia. 2022. Vol. 12. No. 4. P. 589–599.

Gritsenko A. A., M. V. Zotova

This article analyses the situation in Crimea, which de facto seceded from Ukraine and joined Rus￾sia in 2014 following a local referendum, the results of which are not recognised by the international commu￾nity. It focuses on the everyday life of the local population, which has been forced to adapt to the emergence
of the contested border between Russia and Ukraine; the related breakdown of political and economic inter￾actions between Crimea and Ukraine; and the region’s transition to new geopolitical, economic, and legal
conditions. Based on field research, expert interviews, and six focus groups in two small border cities of
Northern Crimea, we specifically address the meaning of the de facto border for local residents. By consid￾ering perceptions of Ukraine and its regional neighbours, cross-border practices, and social relations, we dis￾cuss how people assess these changes and view the border. Our research, firstly, shows that residents of North￾ern Crimea attach great importance to the protective function of the new border. Echoing mainstream Rus￾sian media, they portray Ukraine as a hostile state that threatens Crimeans. Secondly, the residents claim that
the emergence of the border has given people hope for improved living standards and well-being. Despite the
still-ambiguous balance of costs and benefits in border cities, the local residents are overwhelmingly pro-Rus￾sian and expect Russia’s support in the future. Thirdly, for Crimean residents, the border has also become a
significant obstacle to communication with those in Ukraine. Neighbours across the border are not yet per￾ceived as “other.” In this sense, Crimean residents do not accept the border and would like to see Crimea and
Ukraine once again united

Keywords: мобильность, социальные представления, mobility, границы, borders, social representations