The crisis in Ukraine and the recent accession of Crimea to Russia are events that clearly highlight the sources of conflict underlying conflict in global politics. While Russia sees its actions in Crimea as “reunification” and respect for the right to self-determination, the West sees them as a threat to European security and a violation of territorial integrity. Crimea has been a hot topic ever since it came under the control of the Russian Empire in 1783 during the reign of Catherine the Great. The justification then was similar to the reasoning used by Vladimir Putin today. Catherine claimed that she was protecting ethnic Russians in the region from the Ottoman Empire, just as Putin claims to be protecting Russians from Ukrainian nationalists today. It is the post-Cold War system of international relations that requires a rethink of how things have been. wrong because, in many respects, the roots of the problem can be traced back to the bipolar legacy of the Cold War, which created a “gray area” with its abrupt end in global politics and hindered the development of standards of international law .Historical relationship between Russia, Ukraine and Crimea To better understand what is currently happening on the Eastern European front, we must look back at history and appreciate the ties that the three bodies have. From the USSR to governmental autonomy, and then to the collapse of the state machinery in Ukraine, all have contributed to the current crisis in that part of the world. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, commonly called Ukraine or Soviet Ukraine, was a sovereign Soviet socialist state. It was the second most powerful republic in the Soviet Union in terms of economy and politics, second only to the Russian Soviet... middle of paper... Associated press, Russia warns that sanctions on Ukraine would 'hit US as a boomerang" Fox News, March 8, 2014, available at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/08/russia-warns-sanctions-over-ukraine-would-hit-us- like-boomerang/ Kriti Radia, Putin Mocks US Sanctions, Signs Crimean Accession Despite Pressure, March 21, 2014, available at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/putin-mocks-us - sanctions-signs-crimea-accession-malgrado-pressione/Newsweek, Russia withdraws space cooperation in response to Ukraine sanctions, Reuters, May 13, 2014, available at http://www.newsweek.com/russia-pulls -space-cooperation -response-ukraine-sanctions-250869Putin's Threat of Retaliation for Sanctions Brings Risks, by Indira AR Lakshmanan and Joe Carroll May 1, 2014 8:29am GMT+0530, http://www.bloomberg.com/ news/2014-04 -30/putin-threat-to-retaliate-for-sanctions-carries-risks.html