The South of Ukraine: current challenges and strategic priorities of development
The need to establish the concept of a «New South» became apparent after Ukraine lost control over the territory of the Crimea. In the South of Ukraine a security vacuum emerged and an amorphous 900 km strip of socio-economic uncertainty was formed, from the Port of Reni on the Danube to the Port of Mariupol on the Azov Sea, which includes cities and towns with a population of over 2 million and which belongs to five administrative regions (Odessa, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk).
Implementation of Ukraine’s marine potential, sustainable socio-economic development and security in southern Ukraine requires discussion and implementation of a comprehensive policy of inter-regional cooperation of Ukraine’s coastal regions, awareness and recognition of the need for a particular format of controlling the development of the three sub-regions - the Danube-Dniester interfluve, the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions.
The «New South» platform has to become a pillar of the southern vector of Ukraine’s Euro-integration strategy and become an alternative to the Russian «Novorossiya» project.
The concept of the «New South» - is the first step towards developing a new policy of inter-regional cooperation of Ukraine’s coastal regions, which is in compliance with the priorities of the State Strategy for Regional Development - 2020.
A key component of the «New South» Concept is a comprehensive assessment of threats to the coastal regions of Ukraine, connected with the militarization processes in the Crimea, which is initiated by the Russian Federation. At present, the development of a new South Coastal Defense concept, which provides structural reforms in the security sector and the creation of structures similar to those of Canada’s or US Marine Corps, which provides not only defense of the coast from vessels, aircraft, but also the defense of shelf, intelligence functions, contra of meteorological oceanographic factors, rescue operations of victims at sea and so on. It is clear, that security cannot be provided in the northwestern Black Sea region and reliable protection of Ukraine’s Black sea region is impossible without the development and implementation of measures (a state program) on the revival of the Navy Armed Forces of Ukraine.
