Anti-

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

protests (including one riot) took place in the

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

port city of

Feodosia uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...

from late May to early June 2006, partially disrupting a joint Ukrainian-

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

military exercise A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the co ...

, which was canceled 20 July 2006.

Background

The military

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; french: Partenariat pour la paix) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet state ...

military exercise ''Sea Breeze 2006'' exercise (in

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

) was scheduled to take place in Ukraine starting 17 July 2006. Its aim was to "simulate the defence of a peninsula caught between a totalitarian state and a democratic one." "Sea Breeze" manoeuvres had been held annually since 1997. Another

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

-Ukrainian war-game called "Tight Knot" was scheduled to start on 14 June 2006 (near

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a city and municipality in Southern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver brid ...

Legal concerns

On 4 June 2006,

Ukrainian President The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, cond ...

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. As an informal leader of th ...

signed a decree on preparations of the two war-games. The approval for the exercises by the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

(Ukraine's parliament) was still pending early June 2006 because after the parliamentary election of March 2006 it resumed its work on 7 June 2006. In February 2006 the Verkhovna Rada elected before the 2006 election rejected a presidential bill on allowing foreign troops to take part in the maneuvers planned for 2006. The Verkhovna Rada was due to vote on the same bill on 7 June 2006, but decided to adjourn until 14 June. On 6 June 2006, the Crimean legislature declared Crimea a "NATO-free territory".Russia tells Ukraine to stay out of Nato

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

(8 June 2006)

Events

On 27 May 2006, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

(U.S.) cargo ship ''Advantage'' anchored in

, bringing what Ukrainian Defense Minister

Anatoliy Hrytsenko Anatoliy Stepanovych Hrytsenko ( uk, Анатолій Степанович Гриценко; born 25 October 1957) is a Ukrainian politician, independent member of the current Ukrainian parliament, former Minister of Defence, member of the Our U ...

described as U.S. "technical aid." Unarmed seamen offloaded construction materials to build barracks for Ukrainian sailors at a training range near the town of

Stary Krym Staryi Krym (russian: Старый Крым; uk, Старий Крим; crh, Eski Qırım, italic=yes; in all three languages) is a small historical town and former bishopric in Kirovske Raion of Crimea, Ukraine. It has been illegally occupie ...

, not far from Feodosia. Two days later, Feodosia residents, mobilized by local chapters of the

Party of Regions The Party of Regions ( uk, Партія регіонів, Partiia rehioniv, ; russian: Партия регионов, Partiya regionov) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997 that then grew to be the biggest party of U ...

, the

Nataliya Vitrenko Bloc The Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine (PSPU) is a banned Pro-Russian National Bolshevik political party in Ukraine led by Nataliya Vitrenko. The party was represented in Ukraine's national parliament between 1998 and 2002. History The par ...

, and the Russian Community of Crimea, began to picket the port, displaying anti-NATO slogans written in

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and blocking U.S. cargo from getting to its destination. Together with ''Advantage'', 200

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

reservists arrived to Feodosia.U.S. Marines Leave Ukraine

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

(11 June 2006) Their mission was to take part in the Sea Breeze 2006 military exercise from 17 July. When the Marine reservists tried to reach the training facility that they were assigned to renovate protesters surrounded their bus, rocking it and trying to smash the windows, eventually forcing the vehicle to head to a military sanatorium, where the reservists remained. Protesters reportedly harassed Marine reservists if they stepped outside their military base. The marines were advised against going into nearby towns for fear of provoking noisy confrontations. On 4 June 2006 U.S. marines began leaving Crimea. American and Ukrainian officials stated because their contract was ending.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

reported that no repair work was done at the base they were assigned to renovate. On June 8 Ukraine and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

postponed Tight Knot. On 20 July 2006 the United States cancelled Sea Breeze, "due to the situation in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

".U.S.-Led Naval Exercise In Black Sea Cancelled

(20 July 2006) Reportedly the group of protesters rarely consisted of more than a few hundred demonstrators.Ukraine: U.S. Navy Stopover Sparks Anti-NATO Protests

(1 June 2006)U.S. reservists pull out of Ukraine

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

(11 June 2006) They accused NATO and the United States of seeking a foothold in Ukraine. The

Ukrainian defense ministry Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

stated 2 June 2006 that the planned exercises were not connected with NATO.Crimean parliament protests foreign military exercise with U.S.

RIA Novosti RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asset ...

(5 June 2006)

NATO-involved military events in Ukraine since 2006

The 2006 Crimean anti-NATO protests did not impact foreign military units to participate in multinational military exercises in Ukraine. Various military exercises (including ones with NATO troops) were held in Crimea since 2006.Crimean communists to protest against NATO's Sea Breeze exercises

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(May 27, 2010)Foreign Ministry: Sea Breeze 2011 drills no danger to Ukraine's neighbors (updated)

(Jun 14, 2011)
http://en.rian.ru/world/20100518/159068200.html Ukraine parliament allows NATO participation in drills],

(May 18, 2010)
Ukraine: Clear Sailing Expected For Sea Breeze Naval Exercises

(9 July 2007)
UK-Ukraine leadership training in Crimea

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' ministries of foreign affairs, it was created on 2 September 2020 through the merger of the Foreig ...

(4 April 2012) According to a poll by

Razumkov Center Razumkov Centre ( uk, Центр Разумкова), or fully the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov ( uk, Український центр економічних і політичних дослі ...

in March 2011 some 51% of the Crimean residents considered NATO a threat, while across Ukraine this rate was 20.6% on average.Poll: Most Crimean residents consider Ukraine their motherland

(11 April 2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anti-NATO protests, 2006 2006 in Ukraine 2006 protests Anti-militarism in Europe History of Crimea Political scandals in Ukraine Protests in Ukraine Riots and civil disorder in Ukraine Feodosia Municipality Causes and prelude of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Opposition to NATO

Background

Legal concerns

Events

NATO-involved military events in Ukraine since 2006

See also

References