Crimea joining Russian Federation

[Muzh]

 

 

[Wayne]

What changes will take place in Crimea now?
 
People are concerned that the electric, gas, telephone, internet and so on will be cut off between Crimea and main land Ukraine. Since there are a lot of military bases, both Russian and Ukrainian, in Crimea, so do you think they have emergency generators?
 
We had a snow storm a couple of years ago that shut off electric for five days. It was in March. Somehow we managed to get through it. Of course, some stores were open. Hospitals, government, law enforcement, etc worked.
 
I wonder how prepared Crimea would be?

Rumor has it that Russia will pay for people getting Russian internal passports, but there will be a fee for the international passport. So you think they will pick and chose who can become a Russian Citizen? 
 
How is all of this going to effect Americans living in Crimea with residence permits? For example, say you are married to someone from Crimea? What if your spouse does not want to become a Russian Citizen?
 
Rumor is that Russia will spend a lot of money in Crimea. Of course, on military bases, some roads and transportation.
 
What people will be forced to leave Crimea? How secure is your land?
 
Since an American needs a visa to enter Russia, would you be able to enter Crimea at the present time? When will the Simferopol Airport get back into operation? 

[pokerintherear]

Wayne, all good questions. This is going to be the "watch what you ask for moments"

By the time all is put in place most of the supporters of "change" will feel the pain in some part of their life. Only the very top tier of the population will benefit.

[Wayne]

It looks like Crimea does have some oil and gas wells, both on land and sea. I don't know if they could develope them enough for their needs.
 
I wonder how high gasoline prices will climb?
 
It seems to me that utility prices in Crimea are already higher than in main land Ukraine. Of course, the climate is warmer. I didn't see any real forests in Crimea. Things look somewhat dry, like southern Callifornia highlands. Lumber and probably fire wood is relatively expensive there.
 
There is enough small scale farming to provide fresh fruits and vegetables. We went to a large BEER factory. People make their own wine and other drinks. Some fresh fish are available.
 
It will be an interesting experiment!

[Wayne]

The income tax rate for Ukraine starts at 15% and increases up to 19% for higher earners.
 
It looks like the income tax rate for Russia for individuals is a flat 13%. It looks like you usually don't file a return and there is no joint filing.

[ML]

'Most' of the people living in Crimea will be hurting big time from this.

Yes, I understand it has been reported that government employees have already been given raises by Russia, but . . .

1) There will be a huge drop-off in non-Russian visitors to Crimea during the tourist season.  I know casually several persons in Crimea who receive 80% or more of their entire yearly earnings during the summer tourist season.

2) This slack off will not be made up by Russians who will be flocking to the new facilities in Sochi.

[Noch1]

'Most' of the people living in Crimea will be hurting big time from this.

Yes, I understand it has been reported that government employees have already been given raises by Russia, but . . .

1) There will be a huge drop-off in non-Russian visitors to Crimea during the tourist season.  I know casually several persons in Crimea who receive 80% or more of their entire yearly earnings during the summer tourist season.

2) This slack off will not be made up by Russians who will be flocking to the new facilities in Sochi.

I have been twice, I will not be back

[Anotherkiwi]

I have been twice, I will not be back

I haven't been to Crimea at all, much as I have wanted to.  I would now give approximately nada, zip, bupkis, etc, for my chances of doing so in the future.

[Wayne]

If you go to the trip reports sans responses section, and look at calmissile's thread, pages 4 and 5 you will see many interesting photographs that he took while in Crimea. Although it was in the Fall, you can still see people at the beaches. He also has a lot of photos of the military history of Crimea.
 
Some of the best brandy I ever tasted was in Crimea. They have an excellent climate for growing grapes. It compares to some areas in France or California.
 
If you like back packing, there are a lot of natural areas that are wild and undeveloped. You can find streams, waterfalls, caves and so on.
 
It would be a shame if Crimea becomes isolated!

[Wayne]

It seems to me that most of the people on this forum have never experienced Crimea. I don't want to show the photos we have taken because we are almost always in them. So here are some stock shots:

[Wayne]

More photos:

[Wayne]

What if you are a US Citizen currently in Crimea on the 90 day no visa rule and your vacation or 90 days are nearly over?
 
Say you took the UIA flight from Kyiv to Simferopol and have return tickets. UIA flights are all cancelled. Aeroflot to Moscow is all booked up, even business class. Your are running out of money! Banks are closed. ATM's not working. Credit and debit cards stop working. The internet connection at your hotel or flat stops working.
 
You call the US Embassy in Kyiv, but you have no way to get there.
 
Another problem:
 
Say you are a US Citizen with Ukrainian TPR or PR currently living in Crimea?
 
What if you own land in Crimea?

[Muzh]

I think you better start thinking about selling that house you've been building.

[ML]

1) Say you are a US Citizen with Ukrainian TPR or PR currently living in Crimea?
 
2) What if you own land in Crimea?

1) You will find your car vandalized, your apartment windows will be broken, you will be cursed at and not served at the local markets, you will fear for your life and look for a way out.

2) You will be a 'former owner of land in Crimea' without compensation.  Meanwhile, all the Russian owners of Condos in Florida and UK will continue on with no problems.

[CDW]

I have 'spoken' to a lady friend of mine who lives in Kharkiv, but she came from Crimea and is of Russian ethnic.   Her parents was living in Crimea until recently.   They have now moved to Kharkiv !!!

[GQBlues]

1) I thought the whole point was Crimeans are Ukrainians and love US, that's why they need protection from evil Russians? I thought everyone loves US, they bring democracy, no?...

Yes. Courtesy of Blackwater Security Company 

We aren't known as the 'Dirty Americans' for nothing, you know.

[lordtiberius]

Yes. Courtesy of Blackwater Security Company 

We aren't known as the 'Dirty Americans' for nothing, you know.

Blackater doesn't even exist anymore Generalismo.  And o btw, Prince is in exile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince

We aren't known as the 'Stupid Americans' for nothing, you know.

[GQBlues]

Blackater doesn't even exist anymore Generalismo.  And o btw, Prince is in exile:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince

We aren't known as the 'Stupid Americans' for nothing, you know.

Speaking of 'Stupid'....LOL.

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/blackwater_worldwide

[Wayne]

My wife says the Russian military are repairing roads and cleaning parks. She said, 15 more people were killed, and the airport has cancelled all flights until 1 April.
 
The banks are starting to pay salary, but you still cannot withdraw savings.
 
It looks like Russia will invest money in Crimea.
 
Good news that the income tax rate will be lower.

[BillyB]

My wife says the Russian military are repairing roads and cleaning parks. She said, 15 more people were killed, and the airport has cancelled all flights until 1 April.
 

What does your wife think about all this? Is she for or against the current events in Crimea?

[BillyB]

It looks like Russia will invest money in Crimea.
 
Good news that the income tax rate will be lower.

Tell your wife Russia is going to expect a return on it's investment, probably more than what they're paying into it.

[Wayne]

My wife does not care much about politics, nor do I. We would just like to be left alone to live a peaceful, happy life.
 
However, the events taking place will effect everyone in Crimea, Ukraine and Russia.
 
My opinion is that people living in Russian Federation have less freedoms than in some other countries.
 
Most of Crimea is a wild, undeveloped nature. If you have Google Earth on your computer, you can take a look for yourself. I think it would be spoiled with too much development.

[Muzh]

It looks like Russia will invest money in Crimea.
 

Definition of ZERO-SUM
 
  :  of, relating to, or being a situation (as a game or relationship) in which a gain for one side entails a corresponding loss for the other side <dividing up the budget is a zero–sum game   
 
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zero-sum

[Misha]

It looks like Russia will invest money in Crimea.

Sure, for the first few months, or maybe even the first couple of years, then when Crimea falls of the radar, they will get as much "investment" as any other peripheral region of Russia 

[Wayne]

Annexing Crimea is a roundabout way for Russia to introduce visa-free tourism
By Jason Karaian @jkaraian March 17, 2014

For many, Russia’s visa rules make it a hassle to visit. But soon Americans, Europeans, and others might not need a visa to visit Russia—or part of it, anyway.
If, or when, Russia formally annexes Crimea, it will gain an economy with two million people worth less than 4% of Ukraine’s GDP, which is itself dwarfed by Russia’s much larger economy. Upgrading the region’s infrastructure and bringing spending levels to the Russian average could cost tens of billions of dollars. This is easily absorbed by Moscow’s budget, and it will be keen for Crimea to thrive under its management, perhaps as an example for other restive regions in eastern Ukraine.
Tourism is one of the peninsula’s most important industries, attracting six million vacationers to its beaches and Soviet-era spa resorts every year. Revitalizing Crimea’s shell-shocked economy will rely on attracting new tourists to replace the ones scared away by the region’s military stand-off.
As reported today in Kommersant (link in Russian), Russian and Crimean officials have signed deals to promote stronger tourism links. These apparently include measures to direct Russian government employees to take holidays on Crimean beaches instead of their preferred alternatives in Turkey or Egypt, according to a Russian official. (Never mind that the government just spent $50 billion to spruce up the rival Black Sea resort of Sochi in preparation for the Winter Olympics.)
There is also the intriguing possibility that Crimea could operate under Ukrainian visa rules for up to two years, the official told the newspaper. Ukraine has a much more permissive visa policy than Russia, which suggests that Americans and Europeans might be allowed to visit this reclaimed bit of Russia without any prior paperwork.
But will they? Before the recent turmoil, only 5% of Crimea’s tourists came from outside Ukraine and Russia. Tour operators have reported a collapse in bookings since Crimea’s suspiciously well-equipped “self-defense forces” rose up and occupied government buildings, sealed off Ukrainian military bases, and set up armed checkpoints. As summer approaches, visa-free travel to Russia may appeal to a certain sort of intrepid traveller but, in general, as one local hotelier told the Financial Times (paywall), “no one will want to holiday under the barrel of a gun.”