The Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol was a joint resolution adopted on March 11, 2014 by the

Supreme Council of Crimea Verkhovna Rada of Crimea or the Supreme Council of Crimea, officially the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea ( uk, Верховна Рада Автономної Республіки Крим, Verkhovna Rada Avtonomnoï Respubl ...

and the

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

City Council that proclaimed the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, commonly known as Crimea, is a de jure autonomous republic of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,

and the city of

a sovereign state — the Republic of Crimea. The decision was taken after unmarked troops (referred to as

little green men Little green men is the stereotypical portrayal of extraterrestrials as little humanoid creatures with green skin and sometimes with antennae on their heads. The term is also sometimes used to describe gremlins, mythical creatures known for cau ...

), widely believed to be Russian soldiers, invaded Crimea and seized the region's parliament.How Russia Took Crimea
Macias, Amanda (2015). Business Insider. Retrieved August 1, 2017. The declaration of independence and subsequent

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

were not internationally recognised by most countries. According to the Declaration, the newly formed state has the right to apply to Russia for the inclusion of the territory in the federation as a separate subject. In Ukraine's constitution, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are recognised as integral parts of Ukraine, and changes to the territory of Ukraine is possible only after the relevant result of an All-Ukrainian referendum.

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The document reads as follows:

International reaction

Russia recognised the Republic of Crimea's declaration of independence, and following a

in the territory which was condemned as "illegal" by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...

and countries such as the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, annexed the Republic into the Russian Federation. US President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

said that Russian actions were a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and that the referendum would "violate the Ukrainian constitution and international law". On 27 March 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the "Territorial Integrity of Ukraine" Resolution, which recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine. The genuine nature of the declaration has been called into doubt with one scholar calling it a "fig-leaf" to disguise the fact that it was a transfer of territory from Ukraine to Russia.

References

{{2014 Crimean crisis History of Crimea

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Politics of Crimea Separatism in Ukraine March 2014 events in Europe 2014 documents March 2014 events in Ukraine

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International reaction

See also

References