CRIMEA IN THE COORDINATES OF HISTORY: SCIENTIFIC SEMINAR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY HISTORY OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ORIENTAL STUDIES

Abstract

Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea and then launched a war on Ukrainian territory in Donbass. Since then, the efforts of the Ukrainian state and society, the vast majority of the world community are aimed at restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine, punishing Russia for its aggressive actions, compensating our state for the damage caused by this invasion. Thus, the research, coverage of the history and modernity of the Crimean issues are one of the most urgent tasks of the Ukrainian scientific and expert community. The Center for the Study of the History of the Turkish and Crimean Tatar Peoples of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries of the Faculty of History has a number of international scientific conferences, scientific and methodological seminars, round tables, exhibitions and presentations. Therefore, it is quite natural that the head of this Center, Associate Professor Oleh Romanovych Kupchyk, initiated a number of scientific and methodological seminars “Crimea in the coordinates of history.” It is noteworthy that this initiative arose and began to be implemented during the period of mass concentration of Russian troops on the Ukrainian borders and in fact in the most temporarily occupied Crimea, for a further attack on Ukraine, which eventually took place on February 24, 2022. The first scientific seminar was opened on May 20, 2021 by Inna Stepanets, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical Work (Humanitarian Affairs) of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The first section of this scientific event “Crimea in European / World History” opened with reports by Professor of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries of the Faculty of History Nataliia Gorodnia and Head of the same department, guarantor of the Bachelor educational program American Studies and European Studies (with in-depth study of foreign languages) Oleh Mashevskyi, who considered the US position on Russia’s actions in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in February-March 2014 and, accordingly, the problem of annexation of Ukrainian Crimea by the Russian Federation in the policy of US Presidents B. Obama and D. Trump. In today’s world, the countries of the East are becoming increasingly geopolitically important, given their economic, demographic, and political potential. Therefore, the involvement of these states in the pro-Ukrainian policy of resisting Russian aggression, sanctioning the Kremlin, and supplying Ukraine with modern weapons is of paramount importance. Associate Professor of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, guarantor of the Educational Program Oriental Studies of the Bachelor level Makar Taran in his reports discussed in detail the contexts of Crimea for China’s foreign policy after 2014. Oleh Kupchyk, Associate Professor of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Guarantor of the Oriental Studies Educational Program of Master level, spoke about the position of the Republic of Turkey on the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea by the Russian Federation. The reports of the second section “Crimea in the history of Ukraine” were quite interesting, first of all, which cover Crimean issues in the history of Ukraine in a global context. After an active discussion of Crimean issues in the history of Ukraine and the international context, which was joined by the President’s representative in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych, it was decided to publish a collection of scientific papers on the results of this scientific forum and hold a second thematic scientific seminar on Crimean issues in autumn 2021.