Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe. It is situated along the northern coast of the Black Sea, and has a population of 2.4 million. During the long years of history, the status of Crimeas belonging has always been a big issue, which is still acutely on the agenda.
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The history of Crimea has many countries that at a certain time owned this peninsula. So for many years it was also a member of the Byzantine Empire, Empire of Trebizond, Mongol Conquest, Crimean Khanate, Kievan Rus, Russian Empire, Soviet Union. During this time, there were many warriors on its territory. The heaviest hours were during his composition in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The Russian Empire annexed Crimea from the Crimean Khanate, just as they did it again later in 2014. At one time they did everything to get rid of the Tatars from there, and later to exterminate the Ukrainian culture.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence in 1991 most of the peninsula was reorganized as the Republic of Crimea, although in 1995 the Republic was forcibly abolished by Ukraine with the Autonomous Republic of Crimea established firmly under Ukrainian authority. Before becoming part of independent Ukraine, Crimea was part of the Ukrainian SSR, as well as part of Kievan Rus. Crimea remained multicultural and not one cultural community has ever been squeezed. Thus, ethnic Tatars continued their residence on the territory of the peninsula during the period of Ukraine's independence. But, unfortunately, Russia continued its pressure even during this period, thanks to the fact that their port was still based there.
After the Revolution of Dignity on 21 February 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated to colleagues that “we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia”. Within days, unmarked forces with local militias took over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. A 2014 referendum on merging Crimea with Russia was supported by 96.7% of voters with a 83.1% turnout according to official counts, although it was boycotted by many loyal to Ukraine and denounced as illegitimate by Western governments. But Putin signed a treaty of accession with the self-declared Republic of Crimea, annexing it into the Russian Federation.
This page was coded by Anastasiia Boliak