The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. On 22–23 February, Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

convened an all-night meeting with security services chiefs to discuss pullout of deposed President, Viktor Yanukovych, and at the end of that meeting Putin remarked that "we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia.". Russia sent in soldiers on February 27, 2014. Crimea held a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

. According to official Russian and Crimean sources 95% voted to reunite with Russia. The legitimacy of the referendum has been questioned by the international community on both legal and procedural grounds.

February 2014

February 19

Members of the

Sevastopol City Council The Sevastopol City Council (russian: link=no, Севастопольский городской совет, ua, Севастопольська міська рада, Crimean Tatar: Aqyar şeer şurası) is the unicameral legislature of the Ukr ...

petitioned to President

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of D ...

to take stringent measures and bring leaders of the opposition to justice.In Yalta was organized Euromaidan, in Sevastopol were demanding to imprison the opposition
.

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukrai ...

. 19 February 2014 "Leaders of opposition should be held criminally liable for inciting armed confrontation," – stated the declaration. In

Simferopol Simferopol () is the second-largest city in the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, it is ...

, activists of "Stop Maidan" were commemorating Crimean law enforcement agents who perished in conflict in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

. In

Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Cri ...

, over 50 activists attended an anti-government protest and demonstrated support for Euromaidan.

February 20

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of 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 ...

Vladimir Konstantinov Vladimir Nikolaevich Konstantinov (russian: Владимир Николаевич Константинов; born March 19, 1967) is a Russian-American former professional ice hockey player who played his entire National Hockey League (NHL) caree ...

announced that he does not exclude possibility of secession of Crimea from Ukraine if the situation in the country worsens. The head of

Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People ( crh, Къырымтатар Миллий Меджлиси - ''Qırımtatar Milliy Meclisi'') is the single highest executive-representative body of the Crimean Tatars in period between sessions of the Q ...

Refat Chubarov Refat Abdurahman oglu Chubarov; Crimean Tatar Cyrillic: Рефат Абдурахман огълу Чубаров uk, Рефат Абдурахманович Чубаров, translit=Refat Abdurakhmanovych Chubarov (born 22 September 1957) is ...

criticized the announcement and said that Konstantinov who was in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

at the time, openly invited Russian security forces to intervene in Crimean internal politics. The Russian military operation against Ukraine started on this date, according to the inscription on the Medal "For the Return of Crimea", awarded by the Russian Ministry of Defence. A Ukrainian law signed September 2015 designated this as the "date of the start of the temporary occupation".

February 23

, a pro-Euromaidan rally was held in support of the new Ukrainian authorities. The protesters also demanded the resignation of the Crimean parliament and waved Ukrainian,

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

, and

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

flags. The

Prime Minister of Crimea The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea is the head of government of the Republic of Crimea (previously the Autonomous Republic of Crimea located in the southern region of Ukraine). Until 2014, the Prime Minister, wh ...

Anatolii Mohyliov Anatolii Volodymyrovych Mohyliov ( uk, Анатолій Володимирович Могильов, russian: Анатолий Владимирович Могилёв; born April 6, 1955) is a Ukrainian politician. He is the former Prime Ministe ...

declared that the region would carry out all laws passed by the

Ukrainian parliament The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

. Meanwhile in

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 ...

, tens of thousands protested against the new authorities and voted to establish a parallel administration and civil self-defense squads. Some were created on 22 February in Simferopol, where about 5,000 people joined such squads. Protesters waved Russian flags and chanted "Putin is our president" and claimed they would refuse to pay further taxes to the state. Russian military convoys were also alleged to be seen in the area. In

Kerch Kerch ( uk, Керч; russian: Керчь, ; Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ; Ancient Greek: , ''Pantikápaion''; Medieval Greek: ''Bosporos''; crh, , ; tr, Kerç) is a city of regional significance on the Kerch Peninsula in the east of t ...

, pro-Russian protesters attempted to remove the Ukrainian flag from atop city hall and replace it with the

flag of Russia The national flag of Russia (russian: Флаг России, Flag Rossii), also known as the ''State Flag of the Russian Federation'' (russian: Государственный флаг Российской Федерации, Gosudarstvenny fla ...

. Over 200 attended waving flags of Russia, orange-and-black St. George and the

Russian Unity Russian Unity ( uk, Руська Єдність; russian: Русское Единство) was a political party in Crimea, registered in October 2008.Oleh Osadchy attempted to disperse the crowd and police eventually arrived to keep the protesters at bay. Osadchy said: "This is the territory of Ukraine, Crimea. Here's a flag of Crimea" but was accused of treason and a fight ensued over the flagpole.

February 24

More protesters rallied outside the Sevastopol administration offices. Pro-Russian demonstrators accompanied by neo- Cossacks demanded the selection of a Russian citizen as mayor (which was refused by the city council) and planted Russian flags at city hall; they also handed out leaflets calling for volunteers to a militia and warning that the "

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model us ...

Europlague is knocking." On 24 February, a pro-Russian rally in Sevastopol chose Aleksei Chalyi, a Russian citizen, as mayor.Pro-Russian rally in Crimea decries Kiev 'bandits'
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' (25 February 2014). This was controversial because Sevastopol has no mayor as the Chairman of the Sevastopol City State Administration ( Governor of Sevastopol) who is appointed by the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

by statute fulfils this role. A thousand protesters present chanted "a Russian mayor for a Russian city." Crowds gathered again outside Sevastopol's city hall again as rumours spread that security forces could arrest Aleksei Chalyi, but police chief Alexander Goncharov said that his officers would refuse to carry out "criminal orders" issued by the central government. Viktor Neganov, a Sevastopol-based adviser to the interior minister, condemned the events in the city as a coup. "Chalyi represents the interests of the Kremlin which likely gave its tacit approval." The Chairman of the Sevastopol City State Administration, appointed by the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Yatsuba, was booed and whistled on February 23, when he told a pro-Russian rally that Crimea was a part of Ukraine. He resigned the next day.

February 25

Several hundred pro-Russian protesters blocked the Crimean parliament and demanded a referendum on Crimea's independence. The rally was organized by the

Crimean Front The Crimean Front ( uk, Кри́мський фронт, Krýms’kyj front) was one of the Red Army fronts of World War II, which existed from January-May 1942. Composition It was commanded throughout its existence by Dmitr Timofeyevich K ...

. Another large property of former president Yanukovych was discovered close to

four times the size of that in the capital

. The Night Wolves were holding the administrative buildings of city of

and

. Also Russian armored personnel carriers were deployed to protect "Russian Interests" in the city of Sevastopol. The APCs with Russian marines were in Nakhimov Square and the courtyard of the Moscow House.

February 26

On February 26, thousands of protesters clashed in Simferopol. Near the

building between 4,000 and 5,000

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

and supporters of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement faced 600–700 supporters of pro-Russian organisations and the

Russian Unity Russian Unity ( uk, Руська Єдність; russian: Русское Единство) was a political party in Crimea, registered in October 2008. Chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea Volodymyr Konstantinov said that the Crimean parliament will not discuss the issue of separation from Ukraine and that earlier reports that parliament would discuss the motion were provocations. During the clashes, one man died of a heart attack and a woman died from being trampled.

created self-defense groups and called on activists to unite with Russian, Ukrainian and people of other nationalities to avoid provocations and to protect churches, mosques, synagogues and other important sites. By nightfall, the

had left, while the pro-Russian rally had grown to 5,000 as protesters arrived from Sevastopol later in the day. The new Ukrainian establishment's acting Interior Minister

Arsen Avakov Arsen Borysovych Avakov hy, Արսեն Բորիսի Ավակով (born 2 January 1964) is a Ukrainian politician and businessman. From 2014 to 2021 he was Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, first being appointed in the first cabinet of P ...

tasked Crimean law enforcement agencies not to provoke conflicts and to do whatever necessary to prevent clashes with pro-Russian forces and added that "I think, that way – through a dialogue – we shall achieve much more than with standoffs " The new head of the

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...

(SBU)

Valentyn Nalyvaichenko Valentyn Oleksandrovych Nalyvaichenko ( uk, Валенти́н Олекса́ндрович Налива́йченко; born 8 June 1966; Zaporizhia) is a Ukrainian diplomat and politician. On 24 February 2014, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parl ...

requested

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

round-the-clock monitoring of the security situation on the peninsula. Also on February 26, media claimed that Russian troops or (as they themselves claimed) local volunteers took control of the main route of access to

. A military checkpoint, with military vehicles under a Russian flag, was set up on the main highway between the city and

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

described them as a "pro-Russian militia checkpoint".

February 27

On February 27, at 4:20 local time, sixty pro-Russian gunmen seized Crimea's parliament

building A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...

and

Council of Ministers A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

building. They were said to be professionals and heavily armed. Thirty broke into the building initially, with a bus carrying another thirty and additional weapons arriving later. The gunmen were unmarked but raised Russian flags. While the gunmen occupied Crimea's parliament building, the parliament held an emergency session.Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear
Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear]. Interfax-Ukraine, 27 February 2014.RPT-INSIGHT: How the separatists delivered Crimea to Moscow
.

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

, 13 March 2014. It voted to terminate the Crimean government, and replace Prime Minister

with

Sergey Aksyonov Sergey Valeryevich Aksyonov (russian: Сергей Валерьевич Аксёнов, uk, Сергій Валерійович Аксьонов, ro, Serghei Valerievici Aksionov; born 26 November 1972) is a Russian politician serving, since ...

.Crimea sets date for autonomy vote amid gunmen, anti-Kiev protests
, (27 February 2014). Aksyonov belonged to the

Russian Unity Russian Unity ( uk, Руська Єдність; russian: Русское Единство) was a political party in Crimea, registered in October 2008.Interfax-Ukraine reported "it is impossible to find out whether all the 64 members of the 100-member legislature who were registered as present at when the two decisions were voted on or whether someone else used the plastic voting cards of some of them" because due to the armed occupation of parliament it was unclear how many MPs were present.Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear
, Interfax-Ukraine (27 February 2014). The head of parliament's information and analysis department, Olha Sulnikova, had phoned from inside the parliamentary building to journalists and had told them 61 of the registered 64 deputies had voted for the referendum resolution and 55 for the resolution to dismiss the government. They also installed a new Prime Minister. According to the

Constitution of Ukraine The Constitution of Ukraine ( uk, Конституція України, translit=Konstytutsiia Ukrainy) is the fundamental law of Ukraine. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the ''Verkhovna Rada'', the parliament ...

, the Prime Minister of Crimea is appointed by the Supreme Council of Crimea in consultation with the

.Crimean parliament to decide on appointment of autonomous republic's premier on Tuesday
,

Interfax Ukraine The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company publishes in ...

(7 November 2011). The chairman of the

, Volodymyr Konstantinov, as well as de facto prime minister Aksyonov, refused to recognize the dismissal of

from presidential office, and view him as legitimate. Aksyonov added "we will follow his directions". The new Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, warned "We must immediately declare that anyone who is on the streets with guns – these people are prosecuted by law". On the morning of February 27, Berkut units from Crimea and other regions of Ukraine (dissolved by the decree of 25 February) seized checkpoints on the

Isthmus of Perekop The Isthmus of Perekop, literally Isthmus of the Trench ( uk, Перекопський перешийок; transliteration: ''Perekops'kyy pereshyyok''; russian: Перекопский перешеек; transliteration: ''Perekopskiy peresheek ...

and Chonhar peninsula. According to MP

Hennadiy Moskal Hennadiy Hennadiyovych Moskal ( uk, Геннадій Геннадійович Москаль; born 11 December 1950) is a Ukrainian politician and the former governor of Zakarpattia Oblast, serving from 2015 to 2019.

, former Chief of Crimean police, they had armoured personnel carriers, grenade launchers, assault rifles,

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...

s and other weapons. Since then they control all traffic by land between Crimea and continental Ukraine. On February 27, 2014 the Ukrainian organization

Right Sector Right Sector ( uk, Пра́вий се́ктор, ''Pravyi sektor'') is a right-wing to far-right, Ukrainian nationalist organization. It originated in November 2013 as a right-wing, paramilitary confederation of several radical nationalist org ...

officially announced that it does not intend to participate in any conflict on the territory of Crimea.

February 28

In the early hours of February 28, a group of 50–119 armed men in military uniform without signs of identification (designated later as "Green men") seized control over

Simferopol International Airport Simferopol International Airport ( uk, Міжнародний аеропорт "Сімферополь", ''Mizhnarodnyy aeroport "Simferopol’"''; russian: link=, Международный аэропорт "Симферополь", ''Mezhdunar ...

and local TV tower. Airport authorities later denied that it had been "captured" and said that it was still operating normally despite the continuing armed presence. Later in the day, Sevastopol International Airport was occupied in a similar manner as Simferopol's airport. According to the Minister of Internal Affairs,

, soldiers without identification are Russian Black Sea Fleet troops.Avakov named seizure of airports in Crimea armed invasion and occupation
.

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

. 28 February 2014. Later some television channels reported that airports are guarded by Russian forces. It was then claimed that militants in Simferopol airport are soldiers of the Russian MI whose plane was noticed at the Hvardiyske Airport at Hvardiiske near

. According to the official website of the

Night Wolves The Night Wolves ( rus, Ночные Волки, r=Nochnye Volki) or Night Wolves Motorcycle Club is a Russian motorcycle club that was founded around the Moscow area in 1989. It holds an international status with at least 45 chapters world-wide ...

bikers club, at the time they were guarding the state administration in Sevastopol. They were still blocking the roads. On February 28, 2014, a

missile boat A missile boat or missile cutter is a small, fast warship armed with anti-ship missiles. Being smaller than other warships such as destroyers and frigates, missile boats are popular with nations interested in forming a navy at lower cost. They a ...

of the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

blocked the Balaklava Harbor, where ships of the

Ukrainian Sea Guard The Ukrainian Sea Guard ( uk, Морська охорона, Morska okhorona; full name uk, Морська охорона Державної прикордонної служби України, , Sea Guard of the State Border Guard Service of ...

were stationed. Eight Russian military helicopters were moved to

from

Anapa Anapa (russian: Ана́па, ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. Population: History The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport ( ...

. On 28 February 2014,

Yuriy A. Sergeyev Yuriy Anatoliyovych Sergeyev ( uk, Юрій Анатолійович Сергеєв) (5 February 1956, Leninakan, Armenia) is a former Ukrainian diplomat and politician, who has served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukrain ...

told

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

that the helicopters were not transportation crafts, but rather an assault Mi-24.

Serhiy Kunitsyn Serhiy Volodymyrovych Kunitsyn ( uk, Сергій Володимирович Куніцин) is a Ukrainian politician from Crimea, and former veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War. Since December 2014 Kunitsyn is a member of the Ukrainian parliame ...

informed journalists that Crimea is to be visited by the Russian delegation of

Vladimir Zhirinovsky Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky, ''né'' Eidelshtein (russian: link=false, Эйдельштейн) (25 April 1946 – 6 April 2022) was a Russian right-wing populist politician and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) fr ...

and

Konstantin Zatulin Konstantin Fyodorovich Zatulin (russian: Константин Фёдорович Затулин, born on 7 September 1958, in Batumi, Adjarian ASSR, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian politician, first deputy chairman of the committee of t ...

. Serhiy Kunitsyn informed journalists that 13 Russian planes

IL-76 The Ilyushin Il-76 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-76; NATO reporting name: Candid) is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau. It was first planned as a comme ...

with

Russian Airborne Troops The Russian Airborne Forces (russian: Воздушно-десантные войска России, ВДВ, Vozdushno-desantnye voyska Rossii, VDV) are the airborne forces branch of the Russian Armed Forces. It was formed in 1992 from units ...

landed in the Hvardiyske military airport ( Hvardiiske). Kunitsyn stated that each plane may hold about 150 people. The Ukrainian parliamentarian,

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

, who arrived in

, was attacked by an angry mob, but managed to get away unharmed. Chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea Volodymyr Konstantinov was booed by a gathered crowd of protesters who were yelling "Crimea – Russia". On February 28, The

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

of Ukraine acknowledged the threat of possible takeovers of military units in Crimea during the night on Saturday by radical forces. On February 28, facing possible Russian intervention, U.S. 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, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

stated that any military action would "Come at a cost," following his denunciation of Russian aggression in the region. On February 28 the leaders of Ukraine received a message from Russia. According to the notification to defense minister Ihor Tenyukh Ukraine must give the Crimea peninsula to Russia without any military defense or Russia will occupy the whole country. Ousted President Yanukovych insisted that military action was "unacceptable" and that he would not request Russian military intervention at a press conference. According to Yanukovych Crimea must remain part of Ukraine.

March 2014

March 1

On March 1, 2014 the de facto Crimean Prime Minister

appealed directly to Russian President

in a signed statement calling for Russia to "provide assistance in ensuring peace and tranquility on the territory" of Crimea. Meanwhile, Aksyonov took control of "security n Crimeaon a temporary basis", he said. All commanders are to obey his orders or "resign". Akysonov also announced that the date of the self-sovereignty referendum was moved up to 30 March. Protests against the new authorities in Kyiv and in support of Russians in Crimea occurred throughout

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

and Southern Ukraine on March 1. On March 1, the interim president of Ukraine, Turchynov, signed a decree declaring the appointment of Sergei Aksyonov as the head of the government of Crimea to be unconstitutional. Russian President Vladimir Putin formally asked the

Federation Council The Federation Council (russian: Сове́т Федера́ции – ''Soviet Federatsii'', common abbreviation: Совфед – ''Sovfed''), or Senate (officially, starting from July 1, 2020) ( ru , Сенат , translit = Senat), is th ...

for permission to "use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country." Hours later, the Federation Council voted unanimously to grant permission. The Consulate of the Russian Federation in Simferopol started to issue Russian passports to residents of Ukraine.Russian passports already received nine "Berkuts"
.

. March 1, 2014 Members of the former Ukrainian riot police, Berkut, were among the first in Crimea to be granted Russian citizenship. The

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Ar ...

was forced to leave its base in

,Ukrainian Navy ships left Sevastopol
.

UNIAN The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...

. March 1, 2014"Hetman Sahaidachny" left the Ukrainian Navy's main base in Sevastopol – Media
.

. March 1, 2014 as was the

. Some journalists later claimed that this was disinformation posted by

RIA News RIA Novosti (russian: РИА Новости), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (russian: РИА, label=none) is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013 by a decree of Vladimir Putin it was liquidated and its asse ...

. Beginning March 1, Ukrainian journalists were prohibited from entering the Crimean region, reportedly on the orders of members of the Supreme Council. Ukrainian media reported that decisions to replace the government and hold a referendum in Crimea were falsified. According to Damon Wilson, vice president of the Atlantic Council, the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

was "considering authorizing defense arms package to Ukraine".

March 2

On March 2, 2014 a Ukrainian marine infantry detachment stationed around

Feodosiya uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...

was surrounded by armed men demanding surrender by 9:00AM EET. In

Sudak Sudak (Ukrainian & Russian: Судак; crh, Sudaq; gr, Σουγδαία; sometimes spelled Sudac or Sudagh) is a town, multiple former Eastern Orthodox bishopric and double Latin Catholic titular see. It is of regional significance in Crimea, ...

, radar station personnel were forced to give up their arms. The Ukrainian Navy building in Sevastopol was under siege and land-based assault by the Russian Army according to

Ukrainska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukraini ...

. On March 2, acting President Olexander Turchynov ordered all Ukrainian military reservists to be called up. At a Ukrainian military base near the village of

Perevalne Perevalne ( uk, Перевальне; russian: Перевальное ( Perevalnoye); crh, Anğara, Ангъара) (until 1945, Angara) is a village in Crimea, a disputed territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine but ad ...

, there is an ongoing standoff between a handful of Ukrainian marines loyal to Kyiv and the surrounding Russian/Crimean forces. The newly appointed chief of the

, Denis Berezovsky, in televised statement announced that he refuses to follow orders from the self-declared government in Kyiv and declared loyalty to Crimean authorities and people. He was replaced by

Serhiy Hayduk Serhiy Anatoliyovych Hayduk ( ua, Сергій Анатолійович Гайдук; born 25 July 1963) is a Ukrainian Vice Admiral and a former commander of the Ukrainian Navy. The government of Crimea announced the formation of its own Defence Ministry. Ukrainian oligarchs, including

Igor Kolomoisky Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi ( uk, Ігор Валерійович Коломойський, translit=Ihor Valereriyovych Kolomoyskyi; he, איגור קולומויסקי; born 13 February 1963) is a Ukrainian-born billionaire, business magnat ...

and

Serhiy Taruta Serhiy Oleksiyovych Taruta ( uk, Сергій Олексійович Тарута, rus, Сергей Алексеевич Тарута, r=Sergei Alekseyevich Taruta, born 22 July 1955 in Vynohradne, Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukraini ...

(partner of

Rinat Akhmetov Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov, ; russian: Ринат Леонидович Ахметов, ; tt-Cyrl, Ринат Леонид улы Әхмәтов, translit=Rinat Leonid uly Äkhmätov (born on 21 September 1966) is a Ukrainian billionaire and b ...

), throw weight behind revolutionary government in Kyiv; get appointments as governors of eastern provinces. The head of the Security Service of Crimea Petyor Zima, Chief of Department of Internal Affairs in the Crimea Sergey Abisov, the head of Service for Emergency Situations Sergei Shakhov and acting Chief of the Border Guards of Crimea Victor Melnichenko each took an oath of allegiance to the people of the so-called "Putin-backed" Crimea. The ceremony took place in the Council of Ministers chamber in the presence of regional government officials, mayors of different cities and regions.

March 3

According to Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Ukrainian troops stationed in Crimea were urged to surrender by March 3 at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) or face an armed confrontation via an ultimatum issued by Alexander Vitko, the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The ministry did not immediately confirm the report and there was no immediate comment by the Black Sea Fleet. This ultimatum was denied by Russian officials. On the same day, Russian soldiers seized a Kerch Strait ferry terminal in the city of

, the easternmost point of Crimea. Crimea's State Television and Radio Transmitting Center forced the independent broadcaster Chernomorskaya Teleradiokompaniya (Black Sea TV) off the air. Chernomorskaya Teleradiokompaniya, which has covered the political tension in the region, was one of two local broadcasters available to Crimean residents.

March 4

On March 4, Putin ended the military exercises and pulled troops back from Ukrainian borders.Ukraine revolt was anti-constitutional coup, Putin says
CBC Retrieved on March 4, 2014 Putin stated in a press conference that the soldiers occupying military bases were not Russian soldiers, but local forces of self-defence. He said that there was no need to send forces into Ukraine at the time being, but that Russia reserved the right to use "all means" as a last resort to threats of anarchy.Putin: Russia not yet sending troops into Ukraine

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Retrieved on March 4, 2014 There was a confrontation at the Belbek Airbase (at the Belbek Airport) between the guarding Russian/Crimean forces—and unarmed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered the base the previous day.—lasting some hours. Around 200 unarmed Ukrainian soldiers of the 240th Tactical Air Brigade marched towards the base, demanding their jobs back, when the pro-Russian forces fired warning shots in the air. After hours of negotiations, the pro-Russian forces agreed to allow joint patrols of the base—with the Ukrainians remaining unarmed, followed by the Ukrainian detachment marching away.

March 5

On March 5, the Crimean government (ARC) announced that "more than 700 soldiers and officers" from the 50th, 55th and 147th antiaircraft missile regiments, stationed in

Feodosia uk, Феодосія, Теодосія crh, Kefe , official_name = () , settlement_type= , image_skyline = THEODOSIA 01.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Genoese fortress of Caffa , image_shield = Fe ...

and Fiolente respectively, defected to the ARC side by "declaring their readiness to defend the population of Crimea". This is in addition to the 204th Fighter Unit of the

Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force ( uk, Пові́тряні си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни) is the air force of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Its headquarters are in the city of Vinnytsia. W ...

, which defected on March 3. Altogether, as of March 5, the Crimeans claim to have 6000 defectors from the Ukrainian Armed Forces on their side. Thirty-five Russian soldiers were said to have attacked the border checkpoint in

and threatening an armed assault on Ukrainian service personnel. The same day, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informed that unknown persons took hostage Ukrainian Colonel General Mykhailo Koval. One witness claims that he was taken by Russian bikers who attacked the personal car of Koval in

. The Ukrainian soldiers detained one of the "Green Men" Aleksei Sergeievich Medvedev from Yoshkar Ola according to his military ticket (military identification document). Unknown gunmen took hostage the UN special envoy to Ukraine

Robert Serry Robert H. Serry (born c. 1950 in Kolkata) is a Dutch diplomat who served as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organiz ...

. U.N. Deputy Secretary General

Jan Eliasson Jan Kenneth Eliasson (born 17 September 1940) is a Swedish diplomat who was Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from July 2012 to December 2016. A member of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, Eliasson served as Minister for Fore ...

said Robert Serry had been threatened but had not been kidnapped. Serry is expected to continue his work in Kyiv due to situation in

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 pop ...

. The Shevchenko district court of

, meanwhile, ruled on the detention of the self-proclaimed leaders

Sergei Aksyonov Sergey Valeryevich Aksyonov (russian: Сергей Валерьевич Аксёнов, uk, Сергій Валерійович Аксьонов, ro, Serghei Valerievici Aksionov; born 26 November 1972) is a Russian politician serving, since ...

and Volodymyr Konstantinov.The court gave the green light to arrest "puppets of Putin" in Crimea
.

. March 5, 2014 The

was charged to bring them to court. The

General Prosecutor of Ukraine The prosecutor general of Ukraine (also procurator general of Ukraine, uk, Генеральний прокурор України) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General ( uk, Офіс ...

opened criminal proceedings against the commander of Black Sea Fleet Aleksandr Vitko on the facts of incitement to treason and sabotage organization. Three deputies of the

Batkivshchyna The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" ( uk, Всеукраїнське об'єднання "Батьківщина", translit=Vseukrains'ke obiednannia "Bat'kivshchyna") referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by Pe ...

party submitted a bill in the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

on March 5 that would abolish the country's official neutrality, and make "Euro-Atlantic integration and NATO membership" a foreign policy priority for Ukraine. On March 5, a wiretapped telephone conversation was leaked on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n Foreign Minister

Urmas Paet Urmas Paet (born 20 April 1974) is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Estonia. He is a member of the Reform Party, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He has served as Minister of Fore ...

and European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton discussing the issue of sniper-rifle fire during the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Speaking about a doctor named Olga who was on the scene, Paet told Ashton, "The same Olga told that, well, all the evidence shows that people who were killed by snipers from both sides among policemen and then people from the street 'sic''.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''_So_that_there_is_now_stronger_and_stronger_understanding_that_behind_the_snipers_it_was_not_ 'sic''.html"_;"title="sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''_So_that_there_is_now_stronger_and_stronger_understanding_that_behind_the_snipers_it_was_not_Viktor_Yanukovich">Yanukovich,_but_it_was_somebody_from_the_new_coalition."_The_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Estonia).html" ;"title="Viktor_Yanukovich.html" ;"title="sic">' 'sic''">sic.html"_;"title="'sic">'sic''_So_that_there_is_now_stronger_and_stronger_understanding_that_behind_the_snipers_it_was_not_Viktor_Yanukovich">Yanukovich,_but_it_was_somebody_from_the_new_coalition."_The_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_(Estonia)">Estonian_Ministry_of_Foreign_Affairs_later_issued_a_statement_confirming_the_tape's_authenticity,_but_denied_that_"the_new_coalition"_refers_to_the_protesters_who_later_overthrew_Yanukovich_and_installed_a_new_government_in_Kyiv._Olga_Bogomolets,_the_doctor_who_allegedly_told_Paet_about_the_snipers,_denied_claiming_that_protesters_and_Berkut_troops_came_under_fire_from_one_single_source_and_stated_that_she_only_saw_the_protesters'_wounds,_and_that_the_government_assured_her_that_an_investigation_would_be_opened.

__March_6_

The_Supreme_Council_of_Crimea_voted_on_6_March_to_formally_re-accede_as_part_of_the_Russian_Federation_after_60_years_of_being_part_of_the_Ukrainian_state._The_Supreme_Council's_decision_will_be_put_to_the_Crimean_people_via_referendum_if_the_request_is_granted_by_Russia._The_previously_announced_2014_Crimean_referendum.html" ;"title="sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic'' So that there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers it was not Viktor Yanukovich">Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Estonia)">Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs later issued a statement confirming the tape's authenticity, but denied that "the new coalition" refers to the protesters who later overthrew Yanukovich and installed a new government in Kyiv. Olga Bogomolets, the doctor who allegedly told Paet about the snipers, denied claiming that protesters and Berkut troops came under fire from one single source and stated that she only saw the protesters' wounds, and that the government assured her that an investigation would be opened.

March 6

The Supreme Council of Crimea voted on 6 March to formally re-accede as part of the Russian Federation after 60 years of being part of the Ukrainian state. The Supreme Council's decision will be put to the Crimean people via referendum if the request is granted by Russia. The previously announced 2014 Crimean referendum">referendum scheduled for 30 March, will be moved up to 16 March 2014, and its question will be altered to reflect the Supreme Council's 6 March vote of accepting full accession. The Ukrainian government immediately condemned the measure and argued that any unilateral referendum initiated by the current Crimean authorities would be unconstitutional. They were joined in their condemnation of the referendum by the United States and

, leader of the

, announced that his organization will not take part in the referendum, and that they deem it illegitimate. According to Council member Pilunsky the decision was taken without meeting the quorum. Armed men seized the Simferopol Radio and Television Transmitting Station, and discontinued the broadcast of Kyiv-based Channel 5 and 1+1 television channels, replacing their frequencies with the Moscow-based Rossiya 24 news channel. On March 6 Russian sailors scuttled the decommissioned cruiser ''

Ochakov Ochakiv, also known as Ochakov ( uk, Оча́ків, ; russian: Очаков; crh, Özü; ro, Oceacov and ''Vozia'', and Alektor ( in Greek), is a small city in Mykolaiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast (region) of southern Ukraine. It hosts the adminis ...

'' at the entrance to

Donuzlav Bay Lake Donuzlav ( rus, Донузлав) also referred to as Donuzlav Bay is the deepest lakeOliferov, A.M. Donuzlav (ДОНУЗЛА́В)'. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. of Crimea () and biggest in Chornomorske Raion (). It is a protected landsc ...

in western Crimea as a

blockship A blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used. It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of at Portland Harbour in 1914 ...

, in an attempt to prevent Ukrainian navy ships from gaining access to the Black Sea. Crimean Tatars report that their homes are marked with X by unidentified gangs. A mission of observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been stopped from entering Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula by unidentified men in military fatigues for the third time.

March 7

According to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service Russia raised the number of their soldiers in Crimea to 30,000. Two journalists were beaten while taking photos outside the missile defence base A2355 outside the Crimean city of Sevastopol. A Bulgarian media team of two were beaten in Simferopol. Armed men confiscated the equipment of the Associated Press team in Simferopol. Another blockship, the former Black Sea Fleet rescue/diving support vessel BM-416 (VM-416) was scuttled near the ''Ochakov''. PACE's Standing Committee expressed its full support for the territorial integrity and national unity of Ukraine. Ukraine decided not to boycott the Paralympic games as long as Russia did not start a war. During the opening only Ukrainian athlete Mykailo Tkachenko of 31 Ukrainian Paralympians attended the ceremony parade in protest at Russia's incursion into Crimea.

March 8

The Russian military entered the territory of Chonhar village in

Henichesk Raion Henichesk Raion ( uk, Генічеський район) is one of the 5 administrative raions (districts) of Kherson Oblast in southern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is located in the city of Henichesk. Population: On 18 July 2020, as pa ...

of Kherson Oblast and blocked the second entrance to Crimea. The Border Guard Service Department Sholkino was taken over by Russian forces. The personnel and their families had to leave the post and the apartments. A border guard plane flying over Crimea was attacked with firearms.

March 9

At Massandra a mobile, rapid reaction border guard post has been unblocked after several days of occupation. Head of Euromaidan — Krym Andriy Shchekun has been kidnapped in Simferopol. More than 200 scholars of Ukrainian and Russian affairs have undersigned an appeal for a peaceful, sustainable, and fair resolution to the current conflict.

March 10

Two Ukrainian journalists (Olena Maksymenko and Oles Kromplyas) disappeared and are feared kidnapped at the border to Crimea. Several hundred residents of Crimea, mainly Crimean Tatars, have left Crimea for security reasons according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Russian forces have seized the main military hospital in Simferopol. Prominent Russian dissident Mikhail Khodorkovsky said that Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broader autonomy. Posters and leaflets campaigning for the referendum do not show who is behind.

March 11

A joint resolution is adopted by the Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council where they express their intention to self-declare themselves independent in the event of a Yes vote in a referendum to join the region to Russia, that was to be held on March 16. The Crimean Government made clear that they did not officially invite the OSCE to observe the referendum. The OSCE chair, Switzerland's Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, declared the referendum as illegal and because of that the OSCE will not send observers. Unidentified forces started controlling passport and luggages of domestic travellers at the Simferopol railway station. Russian forces took over the control tower at Simferopol International Airport and closed Crimean airspace until the end of week. Ukraine International Airlines flight PS 65 had to return to Kyiv shortly before landing. Party of Regions MP Yuriy Miroshnychenko urged the Crimean government to stop the referendum. Another Party of Regions MP, Hanna Herman, commented the same day about Yanukovych's press conference, "He needs to ... prevent the illegal referendum". On the same day, US National Security Advisor Susan Rice emphasized LGBT rights as part of the US government's "bedrock commitment to advancing human rights and human dignity" before a gathering of top US diplomats at the State Department. Rice's speech omitted any reference to Crimea and mentioned Russia only once in passing. Ukraine was mentioned twice. This overemphasis on LGBT rights, just five days before the Crimean referendum, was subsequently panned as a possible reason why the US responded ineptly to Crimea's annexation.

March 12

A set of press regulations was issued by the Crimean parliament concerning the referendum on March 16, stating, among other things, that authorized journalists covering the elections are obliged "not to spread material with negative content" The multinational

OSCE The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...

observation mission published a report about their observations while trying to enter Crimea. Their entrance was refused at gunpoint. Their observation "produced significant evidence of equipment consistent with the presence of Russian Federation military personnel in the vicinity of the various roadblocks encountered". The UN

Human Rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

Envoy

Ivan Šimonović Ivan Šimonović (; born 2 May 1959) is a Croatian diplomat, politician and law scholar. In October 2008 he was appointed Justice Minister of Croatia. On 3 May 2010, Šimonović was appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights. Edu ...

had to cancel his trip to Crimea as the current situation does not permit his travel. He intended to observe the human rights situation which was Russia's explanation for its engagement in Crimea. The

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

rejected the upcoming referendum on independence in Crimea, which they saw as manipulated and contrary to international and Ukrainian law. Group of 7 world leaders said that they would not recognize the results of a referendum for Ukraine's Crimea region. The leaders called on Russia to "immediately" halt actions supporting the referendum on Crimea regarding its status.

March 13

Russia has voiced support for the deployment of an OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, including Crimea, the chairman of the European security group said on Thursday, calling this a possible "big step forward." The

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; uk, Націона́льна гва́рдія Украї́ни, Natsionalna hvardiia Ukrainy, , ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and Internal Troops, internal military force. It is part of the Minist ...

is reconstituted, on the basis of a law passed the previous day (

Law of Ukraine The legal system of Ukraine is based on the framework of civil law, and belongs to the Romano-Germanic legal tradition. The main source of legal information is codified law. Customary law and case law are not as common, though case law is oft ...

"On the National Guard of Ukraine" dated March 12, 2014). Note: The legislation reforming the National Guard was signed into law on this date by the

acting president An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...

, but not returned to the parliament until the next day (14 March). The Russian Armed Forces announced a new set of sudden military exercises in the border regions of

Rostov Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population: While ...

Belgorod Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics The population of B ...

, and

Kursk Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...

on 13 March, involving "artillery batteries, assault helicopters, and at least 10,000 soldiers". Amateur footage has shown columns of trucks and armored vehicles amassing at the border town of

Lopan The Lopan (Russian and Ukrainian: Лопань) is a river that rises in Belgorod Oblast of Russia and flows across the Russian-Ukrainian border into Kharkiv Oblast where it joins the Udy in Kharkiv. The river is long. The river Kharkiv K ...

, just 30 miles outside of

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

has said that the Russian military exercises have "certainly created an environment of intimidation n Ukraine.

March 14

The United States and Russia found no middle ground on the Ukrainian crisis, after six hours of talks in London. Rostec, a Russian-state arms agency, announced that it had intercepted a surveillance drone flying over the skies of Crimea on 14 March, which belonged to the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

-based

66th Military Intelligence Brigade The 66th Military Intelligence Brigade ("Six-Six-M-I" and 66th MIB) is a United States Army brigade, subordinate to United States Army Intelligence and Security Command and based at Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Wiesbaden, Germany. After years of histo ...

of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. It disabled the drone "with the help of the EW (

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

) complex

Avtobaza Kvant 1L222 Avtobaza is an ELINT system designed to detect side looking airborne radar Side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) is an aircraft- or satellite-mounted imaging radar pointing perpendicular to the direction of flight (hence ''side-lookin ...

," and as a result, "the device made an emergency landing and passed into the possession of the rimeanself-defense forces almost unbroken." The company further claimed that this is the second U.S. drone to be intercepted over Crimea since the crisis began.

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

subsequently denied Rostec's claims, saying that "there is zero truth" to the reports.

March 15

March of Peace (2014-03-15, Moscow) Trubnaya Square

A day before the Crimean referendum, tens of thousands of Russian demonstrators held

anti-war protests An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

in Moscow opposing Russian military intervention in Ukraine. It was the largest protest in Russia since the 2011–13 Russian protests.

March 16

Crimeans vote in a referendum to rejoin Russia or return to its status under the 1992 constitution. On March 16, 2014, Crimean news agencies are now reporting that the official results of the referendum are in, and the region overwhelmingly voted to re-join Russia. Some 95.5% of voters in Crimea have supported joining Russia, officials say. Election officials said the turnout was a record high, beating the numbers who vote in local elections. The defence ministries of Ukraine and Russia agree on a truce in Crimea until March 21, according to the acting Ukrainian defence minister.

March 17

On March 17, the

Crimean parliament The State Council of Crimea (russian: Госуда́рственный Сове́т Респу́блики Крым, uk, Державна Рада Республіки Крим, crh, Къырым Джумхуриетининъ Девлет Ш ...

officially declared its independence from

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

and requested full accession to the

, thus ending Crimea's 60 years as a Ukrainian territory. Obama declared sanctions on 11 Ukrainian and Russian officials considered responsible for the crisis. Markets surged as investor worries faded after the referendum passed without violence. The

Dow Jones Industrial Average The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), Dow Jones, or simply the Dow (), is a stock market index of 30 prominent companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. The DJIA is one of the oldest and most commonly followed equity inde ...

increased by nearly 1%. Abkhazia,

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, and

South Ossetia South Ossetia, ka, სამხრეთი ოსეთი, ( , ), officially the Republic of South Ossetia – the State of Alania, is a partially recognised landlocked state in the South Caucasus. It has an officially stated populat ...

officially recognize the independence of Crimea. The dead body of Reşat Ametovyaky, an ethnic Crimean Tartar, was found in the Belogorskiy Region of Crimea. He disappeared on his way to the recruitment office on March 3 after the announcement of partial military mobilization in Ukraine and is believed to have been abducted. He was found dead with signs of torture; his hands were handcuffed and his head was covered in duct tape.

March 18

The Treaty on Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russia is signed, formally joining the self-declared independent Republic of Crimea to the

as two federal subjects - the

Republic of Crimea The Republic of Crimea, translit. ''Respublika Krym'' ; uk, Республіка Крим, translit. ''Respublika Krym'' ; crh, , is an unrecognized federal subject ( republic) of Russia, located in the Crimean Peninsula. Its territory ...

and the federal city of

. One Ukrainian soldier and one pro-Russian demonstrator were killed in the Simferopol Incident. Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliyev said in an interview with RIA Novosti the new government in Crimea wants to regularize the land unofficially taken over by Crimean Tatar squatters following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He said part of the land was required for social needs but the Government of Crimea was ready to allocate and legalize many other plots of land to ensure a normal life for the Crimean Tatars. He also emphasized that members of the Tatar community could receive senior political positions in the new government, in a move to ease ethnic tensions in the region. President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed State Duma deputies, Federation Council members, heads of Russian regions and civil society representatives in the Kremlin, calling for the creation of "two new constituent entities within the Russian Federation: the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol".

March 19

Russian soldiers storm Ukrainian military bases in Crimea. At Sevastopol, a tug from the Black Sea Fleet attacked and damaged the Ukrainian corvette ''Ternopil'' by launching grenades at the ship while circling around.

March 20

Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passes a resolution to adopt a bill on "territorial integrity of the Ukrainian people", which overlooks the status of granting Ukrainian visas to certain Russian citizens, notably those living in Eastern Ukraine and having strong ties with Russia. Many Russian politicians respond to the resolution as "Yatseniyk and Turchynov trying to prevent the breakaway of more Ukrainian regions into Russia, such as Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya". Another statement is made by Turchynov regarding Crimean tatars, in which the incumbent President says that Ukraine will try to reinforce the rights of Tatars living in Crimea, which so far have been long neglected. The Ukrainian corvettes ''Khmelnitsky'' and ''Lutsk'' were boarded and seized by Russian forces at Streletska Bay. At evening, 15-20 Russian special troops from a Russian navy tug stormed the already damaged corvette ''Ternopil'' at Sevastopol and captured her using stun grenades and automatic fire.

March 21

After the

approved on final reading the treaty of accession of the Crimea to the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin ratifies the inclusion of two new areas into the Russian Federation: the Republic of Crimea and the City of Federal Importance of Sevastopol. The

Crimean Federal District The Crimean Federal District (russian: Кры́мский федера́льный о́круг) was a federal district of Russia. It was established on March 21, 2014 after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. The federal dist ...

is created with Oleg Belaventsev being appointed as its Presidential Envoy. At the same time Ukraine withdraws military troops from certain previously guarded areas in the Crimea and boycotts the right to travel to Simferopol for some of its airlines. At Sevastopol, Russian warships surrounded the Ukrainian submarine ''

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populat ...

'', and attacked her with grenades. The submarine was later seized by Russian personnel. At Donuzlav Bay, the Ukrainian minesweeper ''

Cherkasy Cherkasy ( uk, Черка́си, ) is a city in central Ukraine. Cherkasy is the capital of Cherkasy Oblast ( province), as well as the administrative center of Cherkasky Raion (district) within the oblast. The city has a population of C ...

'' made a fruitless attempt to negotiate the scuttled vessels and gain access to open sea; after the failure, she and the landing ship ''Konstantin Olshansky'' dropped anchor and adopted a defensive formation.

March 22

Russian forces storm two Ukrainian air bases in Crimea. At 4:00 PM local time, Ukrainian border patrol guards seal off the northern entrance from Crimea. The same evening, Sergey Aksyonov addressed the citizens of Southern and Eastern Ukraine via a YouTube video, in which he urged the population of fend off "the banderians" (referring to the Right Sector Party, which has the teachings and works of

Stepan Bandera Stepan Andriyovych Bandera ( uk, Степа́н Андрі́йович Банде́ра, Stepán Andríyovych Bandéra, ; pl, Stepan Andrijowycz Bandera; 1 January 1909 – 15 October 1959) was a Ukrainian far-right leader of the radical, terr ...

as part of its ideology and traditions) and to protect their lands from attacks from them that may arise. Outside these parts, the video was seen as an attempt by Crimea to trigger further revolts in these regions against the Kyiv government, so that further separation may ensue. Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev spoke on Russia Today about the nullification of the documents signed in 2010 concerning Russian gas supply through Crimea, basing his country's decision on the fact that Crimea is now a part of Russia. Medvedev then denied the change of Russian stance towards its pacts with Ukraine, only speculating that Russia has 'amended' some of the signed documents in order to remove "Crimea" from the lists.

March 23

About 30% of Crimea and almost half of Simferopol dwellings and buildings met a power outage as Ukrainian electric company UkrEnergo shut off its supply of electricity to those regions. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko described the blackout as "ridiculous" and urged for both nations to remember their Slavic roots, as does Belarus. So far 189 out of roughly 4000 Ukrainian military outposts personnel located in Crimea joined the Russian forces in the area post-accession. The 13th Outpost, located in Feodosiya, became famous for its marginal resistance to the Russian forces and repetitive denial to give up. The speaker of Crimean Tatar people warned the Russian government that should their national integrity be compromised (as is the case with Ukraine), they will form an insurgency movement and will "defend" the lands they live on. Russia did not respond to the warning in any way. At Donuzlav Bay, the Ukrainian minesweeper ''Cherkasy ''made a second ill-fated attempt to pass over the scuttled ships at the bay's entrance. At night, the Russian navy scuttled a fifth ship at the mouth of the bay.

March 24

Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States voted to suspend Russia from the Group of 8. Gregor Gysi, chairman of the German "Left" Party, has expressed his discontent with this decision (which was primarily brought by Angela Merkel) and responded by giving the February coup in Ukraine as example of what would be "not less unconstitutional" than the Crimean referendum. "The fascists who came to power in Ukraine, have their own understanding of what is constitutional, and the small percent of democrats sitting in the Rada cannot seem to influence it", he said. A tug carrying Russian forces boarded and seized the amphibious ship ''Konstantin Olshansky'' at Donuzlav Bay. Ukrainian sources claim that 200 troops assaulted the vessel with the use of automatic weapons and stun grenades. The Ukrainian ship was manned by 20 crewmembers at the time, who laid up a smokescreen. Ukrainian sources report that the crew disabled the electronics and the engines of the vessel beyond repair before surrender.

March 25

Russia awards a medal to former Ukrainians who assisted in the annexation of Crimea. Controversy erupts over the reverse of the medallion, which dates "the return of Crimea" as February 20 — March 18. This implies that Russia was awarding those involved with the February 20 killing of Maidan protesters. After a two-hour engagement, the Ukrainian minesweeper ''Cherkasy,'' the last warship waving the Ukrainian ensign in Crimea was disabled with explosive charges and captured at Donuzlav Bay by the ocean-going tug ''Kovel'', three speedboats, and two

Mi-35 The Soviet and later Russian Mil Mi-24 helicopter has been produced in many variants, as described below. History In 1966, Soviet aircraft designer Mikhail Mil created a mock-up design of a new helicopter (derived from the Mil Mi-8) which was ...

helicopters. There were no casualties, but the vessel's rudder was crippled by the explosion of a grenade. A bloodless exchange of small arms fire was reported; the Ukrainian crew was allowed to hoist the Ukrainian flag and stay aboard until their evacuation on 26 March.

March 26

Russian commander-in-chief general

Valery Gerasimov Valery Vasilyevich Gerasimov ( rus, Валерий Васильевич Герасимов, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪdʑ ɡʲɪˈrasʲɪməf; born 8 September 1955) is a Russian army general serving as the Chief of the General S ...

told the press that all military facilities around Crimea were under control of Russian forces, and all military personnel who expressed loyalty to Ukraine was being evacuated from the peninsula.

March 27

The

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Cur ...

approved a resolution describing the Crimean referendum on 16 March as illegal. One hundred countries voted in favour of approving a UN General Assembly resolution declaring the Crimean referendum illegal and affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity. Eleven nations voted against, with 58 abstentions.

March 28

Russian state media agency

ITAR-TASS The Russian News Agency TASS (russian: Информацио́нное аге́нтство Росси́и ТАСС, translit=Informatsionnoye agentstvo Rossii, or Information agency of Russia), abbreviated TASS (russian: ТАСС, label=none) ...

reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the Ukrainian Embassy in

to inform it of Russia's unilateral termination of a number of Black Sea Fleet agreements, as well as Russia's willingness to repatriate Ukrainian military equipment left in

March 29

Crimea and Sevastopol switched to

Moscow Time Moscow Time (MSK, russian: моско́вское вре́мя) is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia, and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second-westernmost of the eleven time zones of Russia. It has b ...

at 22:00 (10:00 PM)

Eastern European Time Eastern European Time (EET) is one of the names of UTC+02:00 time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. The zone uses daylight saving time, so that it uses UTC+03:00 during the summer. A number of African countries use UTC ...

Aftermath

April 2014

Novofedorivka Novofedorivka ( uk, Новофедорівка) or Novofyodorovka (russian: Новофёдоровка; crh, Novofödorovka) is an urban-type settlement. It is located about south of the regional centre of Saky, and about north of Sevastopo ...

a Junior Sergeant of the Russian Naval Infantry identified as E. C. Zaitsev fired two shots at close distance from an

AK-74 The AK-74 ( Russian: , tr. ''Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1974 goda'', lit. 'Kalashnikov assault rifle model 1974) is an assault rifle designed by small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1974. While primarily associated with the Soviet ...

, killing Ukrainian officer Major Stanislav Karachevsky who was getting ready to be relocated. During the 12th 'Direct Line with Vladimir Putin' the use of Russian armed forces along with Crimean self-defence troops was avowed by the Russian president, but Vladimir Putin denied the claims by Ukraine and the West that Russian special forces were fomenting ongoing unrest in eastern Ukraine.

May 2014

The Russian President's

Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

"posted a blog that was quickly taken down as if it were toxic radioactive waste" estimating that a "vast majority of the citizens of Sevastopol voted in favor of unification with Russia in the referendum (50-80%); in Crimea, various data show that 50-60% voted for unification with Russia, with a turnout of 30-50%," suggesting that the official results are false. The document is still on the Russian website. Celebrating Victory Day and the 70th anniversary of Sevastopol’s liberation (2493-24)

Celebrating Victory Day and the 70th anniversary of Sevastopol’s liberation (2493-24)

August 2014

Ukrainian border guards fend off a hostile incursion on Kherson Oblast from Crimea.

September 2014

Russian authorities raided

national assembly building, removing all staff by force. This was preceded by a court ruling that ordered blocking of the assembly bank accounts and repressions against its members and political activists.

Mustafa Djemilev Mustafa Abduldzhemil Jemilev ( crh, Mustafa Abdülcemil Cemilev, Мустафа Абдюльджемиль Джемилев, ), also known widely with his adopted descriptive surname Qırımoğlu "Son of Crimea" ( Crimean Tatar Cyrillic: , ; born ...

announced that since March over 18 Tatar activists were missing, some of them abducted by government forces, some lost without trace. Most recent such case was Edem Asanov who disappeared on 29 September while travelling to work. After elections in Crimea five members of Supreme Council of Ukraine resigned.

November 2014

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

issued a report "Rights in Retreat" on humanitarian situation in Crimea under Russian administration, documenting "persecution of Crimean Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists, harassment of pro-Ukraine and Crimean Tatar media and imposition of Russian citizenship in Crimea".

rejected the report as "propaganda".

Notes

References

{{Euromaidan * Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Timelines of the Russo-Ukrainian War