April 26 (Reuters) - The parliaments of Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to ratify on Tuesday an agreement to prolong the stay of the Russian navy in Ukraine's port of Sevastopol until 2042.
The extension of the Black Sea fleet’s lease was agreed on April 21 by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev in exchange for a 30 percent cut in the price of supplies of Russian gas to Ukraine.
Russia’s fleet has been based in Crimea for centuries, but under a post-Ukrainian independence agreement signed by the then Russian President Boris Yeltsin, it would have had to leave in 2017.
The decision by Yanukovych has aroused strong criticism from his political opponents who accuse him of selling out Ukraine’s national interests.
Ukraine’s constitution, however, is ambiguous: it contains two contradictory articles on stationing of foreign military bases in the country.
One article prohibits the establishment and functioning of foreign bases, while elsewhere in the constitution the temporary leasing of existing bases by foreign forces is allowed.
Here are some facts about the fleet:
History
— Sevastopol was established in 1784 as Russia’s naval base in Crimea under Empress Catherine the Great. It comprised 12 dreadnoughts, 20 frigates and 23 support ships.
— When World War Two broke out the fleet had 5 cruisers, 17 destroyers, 55 escort vessels and 44 submarines. Between 1900 and 1974 it lost 25 warships.
— During the Cold War the fleet was designated for stopping NATO forces in southern Europe.
— The Black Sea fleet has two main bases — Ukraine’s Sevastopol and Russia’s Novorossiisk
The Black Sea fleet now comprises:
About 16,200 servicemen, a rocket cruiser Moskva, a large destroyer Kerch and about 40 other vessels including submarines, landing craft, small destroyers and support ships.
All military and supporting ships were built in Soviet times and the oldest now is a rescue vessel Kommuna, which dates back to 1915.
1997 deal
— After years of dispute in the immediate aftermath of the Soviet breakup, Moscow and Kyiv signed a 20-year deal in 1997 allowing Russia to keep its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol alongside Ukraine’s tiny navy.
— Moscow rents the facilities for $93 million a year.
— Relations with Russia later worsened under the pro-Western presidency of Viktor Yushchenko who sought Ukrainian membership of NATO.
— The two sides clashed in January 2006 over rights to a lighthouse linked to the Black Sea Fleet, days after solving a crisis over gas prices. Other disputes over property have since broken out periodically.
— Russia repeatedly accused Kyiv of attempting to seize property belonging to the fleet. Amid growing tension between the ex-Soviet neighbours, the fleet said it had barred Ukrainian court bailiffs from seizing navigation equipment at a lighthouse on the outskirts of Sevastopol.
— The last military adventure of the fleet was when it sent warships to support Russian land forces in its brief conflict with Georgia in August 2008 — a move that greatly embarrassed Yushchenko since many Ukrainians were serving on board.
— Yushchenko repeatedly sent diplomatic notes to Moscow reminding it that 2017 was the agreed date for the pull-out of the fleet.
2010 deal
— The agreement in Kharkiv to extend the fleet’s lease by 25 years beyond 2017 underlined the priority of newly elected Yanukovych to improve relations with Russia.
— The Yanukovych camp says the rental from the lease will go up to $100 million a year in cash after 2017.
— Both Russia and the Yanukovych leadership say the presence of the Black Sea fleet in Crimea enhances European security and does not threaten it.
— Many see the fleet as a symbol of Russian political power rather than an effective military instrument since many of its vessels are old.
— Political opponents of Yanukovych say the continued stay of the Russian navy in Crimea violates sovereignty and they say there is a real fear Ukraine could be dragged into Moscow’s conflicts with other powers.
