Model United Nations Simulation

Historical Council
The 2014 Ukraine conflict: Origins, Impact, and Global
Implications

1. Welcoming letter:

Honorable delegates,

We are extremely honored to welcome you all to this year’s Security Council of ESEMUN
2024. We firmly believe that you will meet the expectations of the countries which you are
appointed to represent in front of this prominent body of the United Nations. Within this
study guide you will find all the necessary information and guidelines which will help you
understand the situation in Ukraine in 2014. We believe that the key to an effective
contribution throughout the proceedings of the Council lies in your thorough preparation
regarding the issues that are to be addressed, which will in turn lay the groundwork for
your innovative thinking, concrete proposals, and active participation during the event. We
are more than positive that we will all manage to cooperate effectively. We wish you all a
fruitful beginning while reading this study guide; may it be the beginning of a
“constructive” procedure in which you will accumulate knowledge, new skills and
experiences to remember for a lifetime.

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,
 2. Introduction to the committee:

The Security Council, which held its first session on the 17th of January 1946, is among
the six main institutions that were established by the United Nations Charter. It is its utmost
duty to preserve global peace and security by any means possible, while promoting notions such
as international cooperation and respect for human rights. In the event that any of the
aforementioned goals of the Council are challenged; it has the right and responsibility to take
immediate and drastic action.

With the maintenance of peace and security being the Council’s main objective, this
institution must be ready to act to resolve crises that have arisen. When addressing a conflict
between different parties, the Security Council primarily promotes a peaceful resolution for the
problem through a variety of different ways, such as establishing the principle guidelines of a
peaceful agreement, sending special envoys, commencing missions and investigations, and even
appealing to the Secretary General for their good offices. In more serious situations, however,
the Council may opt for more intense measures such as calling for a ceasefire, deploying a
peacekeeping operation, and imposing blockades, sanctions, embargoes and the secession of
diplomatic relations. In some cases, it is even possible that the Council undertake collective
military action in accordance with the framework established by the Charter of the United
Nations1.

In terms of organization, the Security Council consists of five permanent members (the
United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, France and China) and
ten non-permanent members who are granted a seat at the council for a two-year term
following a rotating system. The current non-permanent members are Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana,
Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland. Each of
the permanent members of the Council has veto power. This means that any important decision
and resolution may be blocked (vetoed) if one of the permanent members objects to it.

Apart from the aforementioned members, other countries may participate in the
Council as Non-Council Members. When the Security Council considers that a country is directly

1
[Link]
affected by an issue that is being discussed, the aforementioned country may join the Council’s
discussions without being able to vote on any matter.

The Security Council is the only UN institution whose resolutions and decisions are
binding. Article 25 of the UN Charter states that “[all members] agree to carry out and accept
the decisions of the Security Council, in accordance with the present Charter2.” It is therefore
evident that the Security Council plays a crucial role in preserving international peace and
actively promoting it, not only through intervening in instances of high international friction, but
also by establishing a lasting rapport between the various nations of the world3.

3. Definition of key terms

NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ), also known as the North
Atlantic Alliance , is a military defense alliance of Western countries , which aims for the
development of cooperation between member countries in various fields (military ,
political , economic , social , educational), the promotion of geopolitical interests and
the prevention of an armed attack against a member country by others.

SWIFT: The global bank messaging system operated by the Society for Worldwide
Interbank Financial Telecommunications is a crucial part of the harsh sanctions on
Russia.

G7: The Group of Seven is an intergovernmental political forum consisting of Canada,

France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

MINSK AGREEMENTS: The so-called Minsk accords of 2014 and 2015 attempted to end
the war in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine between Ukraine and Russian-
speaking separatists in the disputed areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.

START I: START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) was a bilateral treaty between the
United States and the Soviet Union on the reduction and the limitation of strategic
offensive arms. The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5
December 1994.

2
[Link]
3
[Link]
 REFERENDUM: a vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give
their opinion about or decide an important political or social question.

ANNEX: to take possession of an area of land or a country, usually by force or without

permission.

4. Introduction to the topic

Ukraine is bordered by Belarus to the north, Russia to the east, the Sea of Azov and the Black
Sea to the south, Moldova and Romania to the southwest, and Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to
the west. In the far southeast, Ukraine is separated from Russia by the Kerch Strait, which
connects the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

The 2014 Euromaidan protests

In November 2013, the Ukrainian Government of pro-Russian President Viktor

Yanukovych decided not to sign a planned Association Agreement with the European Union and
demonstrations ensued in the capital Kyiv. This despite the Association Agreement having been
overwhelmingly supported by the Ukrainian parliament. These demonstrations were one of the
largest demonstrations since the Orange Revolution. These ‘Euromaidan’ demonstrations
turned violent in early 2014 and, in February that year, some European foreign ministers
mediated a compromise, involving a unity government and early elections.

The bloodiest week in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history concluded on February 21 with an

EU-brokered agreement between Yanukovych
and opposition leaders that called for early
elections and the formation of an interim unity
government. The parliament responded by
overwhelmingly approving the restoration of
the 2004 constitution, thus reducing the power
of the presidency. In subsequent votes, the
parliament approved a measure granting
full amnesty to protesters, fired internal affairs
minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko for his role in
ordering the crackdown on the Maidan.
Yanukovych, his power base crumbling, fled the
capital ahead of an impeachment vote that
stripped him of his powers as president. On February 24 the interim government charged
Yanukovych with mass murder in connection with the deaths of the Maidan protesters and
issued a warrant for his arrest.

After the collapse of a power-sharing agreement on 22 February 2014, President

Yanukovych disappeared from Ukraine and a new government was installed by the Ukrainian
parliament.

The Ukrainian economy, struggling prior to the Maidan protests, responded erratically
to the shifting power situation, with the hryvnya sinking to historic lows. Credit agency Standard
& Poor’s cut the country’s debt rating and downgraded its financial outlook, as the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) sought to restore calm. The interim Ukrainian government installed
Fatherland leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk as prime minister, and early presidential elections were
scheduled for May 2014. Yanukovych resurfaced on February 28 in Rostov-na-Donu, Russia, and
he delivered a defiant speech in Russian, insisting that he was still the rightful president of
Ukraine.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea, 2014

Toward the end of February 2014, unidentified military figures, later confirmed to be
Russian personnel, surrounded the airports in Crimea, a majority-Russian peninsula in Ukraine.
The Crimean autonomous assembly was then seized by pro-Russian forces.

In March 2014, the assembly issued a declaration of independence and a subsequent

referendum on union with Russia was held. According to Russian election officials, 95.5% of
voters supported union with Russia. The results of that referendum are not internationally
recognized.

Since then, Russia has maintained its control over Crimea and supported pro-Russian
separatist forces who also took control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern
Ukraine (the Donbas) in 2014.

Fighting between Russian-supported separatists and Ukrainian government forces has

continued in the Donbas for the last eight years despite the negotiation of the Minsk
Agreements in 2014/2015 which called for a ceasefire, the withdrawal of all foreign armed
groups and constitutional reform recognising the special status of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Minsk Agreements

Minsk I

Ukraine and the Russia-backed separatists agreed on a 12-point ceasefire deal in September
2014.

Its provisions included prisoner exchanges, deliveries of humanitarian aid and the withdrawal of
heavy weapons. However, the agreement quickly broke down, with violations by both sides. This
marks the beginning of our simulation.

Historically, this is what happened after the first Minsk agreement.

Minsk II

Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) and the leaders of separatist-held regions Donetsk and Luhansk signed a 13-point
agreement in February 2015.
The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine gathered in Minsk to mark the occasion and
issued a declaration of support.

The deal’s 13 points were:

• Immediate, comprehensive ceasefire.

• Withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides.
• OSCE monitoring.
• Dialogue on interim self-government for Donetsk and Luhansk, in accordance with
Ukrainian law, and acknowledgement of special status by parliament.
• Pardon, amnesty for fighters.
• Exchange of hostages, prisoners.
• Humanitarian assistance.
• Resumption of socioeconomic ties, including pensions.
• Ukraine to restore control of state border.
• Withdrawal of foreign armed formations, military equipment, mercenaries.
• Constitutional reform in Ukraine including decentralisation, with specific mention of
Donetsk and Luhansk.
• Elections in Donetsk and Luhansk.
• Intensify Trilateral Contact Group’s work including representatives of Russia, Ukraine
and OSCE.
Points to be addressed:

1. What actions can the Security Council take to address the conflict and ensure peace and
security in the area?
2. Are sanctions against Russia, as they ‘currently’ stand (in 2014), effective or should they be
escalated or lifted?
3. How can the international community better support the civilians affected by the conflict?
4. Should the UN deploy peacekeepers to enforce a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine?

5. What is your nation’s position in the war?

6. What is your country’s relationship with Ukraine and Russia?

7. How has this conflict affected global relations?

8. What is your country’s proposed resolution to the 2014 conflict and its results?

9. Should the UN intensify attempts to resolve the issue through diplomacy and dialogue or
should it change route to action?
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
relevant-now
[Link]
[Link]

[Link]
[Link]

[Link]

[Link]

[Link]

[Link]

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES/ WEBSITES:

[Link]
[Link]
crimeia
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]