Tug-Of-War Over 100 Lighthouses
By Sue Clark on Jan 22, 2008 in News 
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Russia and the Ukraine Haggle Over Lighthouses
A Ukrainian Court recently ruled that Russia must give back the one hundred plus lighthouses along the Crimean coast of the Black Sea. Ukrainian police attempting to seize one of the lighthouses in the Black Sea after the ruling by their courts were stopped from entering by a representative of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The Black Sea Fleet says the decision to hand the lighthouse over can only be made at governmental level. This is the latest action in the dispute over who owns or can operate the lighthouses.
The Background
The Black Sea Fleet, developed by Russia in the eighteenth century, and which includes the lighthouses, have been since 1991 a source of discord between Russia and the Ukraine. The Fleet, its navigational aids and its bases were divided between the two countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Six years later, in 1997, the two countries signed a partition treaty, with the Ukraine agreeing to lease parts of its newly acquired bases back to Russia until 2017. Moscow would like to extend the lease but Kiev claims Russia is not adhering to the agreements, in particular over its use of radio navigation systems, survey facilities and a navigational beacon.
Ukrainian Protestors Demand Return of Lighthouses
In January 2006, Ukrainian protesters occupied the Yalta Breakwater Lighthouse, seen in the photo below. By February 2007, peaceful talks were in progress, with both sides expressing hope that an agreement could be reached. Joint military operations between the two countries have taken place, and a spirit of cooperation was in the air. However, with recent feelings about Russia’s so-called lack of compliance, the Black Fleet Headquarters in Sevastopol were stormed by dozens of Ukrainian protesters demanding the return of their lighthouses in December 2007.
The protesters tore down a sign on the building and painted the Russian Coat of Arms in the colors of the Ukrainian national flag. They also tried to fix banners to the gate of the complex. While this was going on, a rally by supporters of the Russian Fleet was also held in the city.
What’s next with this struggle for control over the lighthouses? It’s Russia’s turn to step up to the plate and abide by agreements. Perhaps that will soothe the Ukrainian tensions over the presence of the Fleet in their beloved lighthouses.
Photo Credit: Yalta Light by David G. Hallowell on Webshots
Information in this story from Russia Today
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