FORMATION OF THE AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA AS A NATIONAL SECURITY OBJECT OF UKRAINE (1991–1998)

The article, based on the analysis of the stages of development of legal regulation of relations between the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the central government of Ukraine, highlights the process of formation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as an object of national security of Ukraine. Attention is focused on the fact that the problem of the legal status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 1991–1998 is urgent given the fact that it was during this period that the political and legal prerequisites for the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea by the Russian Federation were formed in February-March 2014. at that time, searches for the optimal legal form of existence of Crimean autonomy took place in the process of political and legal interaction of representatives of the political elite of Crimea and the central government of Ukraine. Under such conditions, the establishment of the legal status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as a territorial autonomy took place taking into account the need to ensure the territorial integrity of Ukraine as an element of national security. Therefore, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea began to acquire the characteristics of an object of national security of Ukraine. The stages of development of the legal regulation of relations between the Crimean autonomy and Ukraine can be tentatively considered as follows: 1991–1994 — contractual; 1994–1996 — representative; 1996–1998 — constitutional. The Crimean authorities completely ignored the decisions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, in particular those related to the illegality of certain provisions of the Constitution of the republic and the cancellation of about 40 republican laws adopted contrary to the norms of Ukrainian legislation in the first half of 1994. The author came to the conclusion that in order to develop the legal regulation of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as an object of national security of Ukraine in the period 1991–1998, gradual changes in the nature of the relationship between the authorities and management of the ARC and the central government of Ukraine were of great importance. The actualization of threats to the territorial integrity of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in the form of the activation of pro-Russian political forces in Crimea led to the constitutional consolidation in 1996 of its status as a territorial autonomy — the Autonomous Republic of Crimea — thanks to which the most favorable conditions were created for preventing manifestations of regional separatism.