Crimea, Ukraine
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The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, commonly known as Crimea, is a de jure
autonomous republic An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Man ...
of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was
annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,Regions and territories: The Republic of Crimea
BBC News
while the City of Sevastopol (a
city with special status City with special status ( uk, місто зі спеціальним статусом, misto zi spetsial'nym statusom), formerly "city of republican subordinance", is a type of first-level administrative division of Ukraine. Kyiv and Sevastopol ...
within Ukraine) occupies the rest. The Cimmerians,
Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...
, Greeks, Scythians, Goths, Huns, Khazars, the state of Kievan Rus', Byzantine Greeks,
Kipchaks The Kipchaks or Qipchaks, also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians, were a Turkic nomadic people and confederation that existed in the Middle Ages, inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe. First mentioned in the 8th century as part of the Se ...
, Ottoman Turks, Golden Horde Tatars and the Mongols each controlled Crimea in its earlier history. In the 13th century, it was partly controlled by the Venetians and by the Genoese. They were followed by the Crimean Khanate and the Ottoman Empire in the 15th to 18th centuries, the Russian Empire in the 18th to 20th centuries, Germany during World War II, and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and later the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, within the Soviet Union during the rest of the 20th century until Crimea became part of independent Ukraine with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Following the February
2014 Ukrainian revolution The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,
that ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, pro-Russian separatists and
Russian troops The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Forces ...
took control of the territory. A controversial Crimea-wide referendum was held on the issue of becoming part of Russia, which, according to the official results, was supported by the overwhelming majority of Crimeans who voted. Russia formally
annexed Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
Crimea on 18 March 2014, incorporating the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol as the 84th and 85th
federal subjects of Russia The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation (russian: субъекты Российской Федерации, subyekty Rossiyskoy Federatsii) or simply as the subjects of the federation (russian ...
. While Russia and 17 other UN member states recognize Crimea as part of the Russian Federation, Ukraine continues to claim Crimea as an integral part of its territory, supported by most foreign governments and
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 was adopted on 27 March 2014 by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea and entitled "territorial integrity of Ukraine" ...
. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is an autonomous
parliamentary republic A parliamentary republic is a republic that operates under a parliamentary system of government where the executive branch (the government) derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature (the parliament). There are a number ...
within Ukraine and is governed by the
Constitution of Crimea Constitution of Crimea may refer to: * Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the 'de jure' republic of Ukraine *Constitution of the Republic of Crimea The Constitution of the Republic of Crimea is the basic law of the Republic of ...
in accordance with the laws of Ukraine. The capital and administrative seat of the republic's government is the city of Simferopol, located in the centre of the peninsula. Crimea's area is and its population was 1,973,185 as of 2007. These figures do not include the area and population of the City of Sevastopol (2007 population: 379,200), which is administratively separate from the autonomous republic. The peninsula thus has 2,352,385 people (2007 estimate). Crimean Tatars, a predominantly
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
ethnic minority who in 2001 made up 12.10% of the population,About number and composition population of Autonomous Republic of Crimea by data All-Ukrainian population census'
Ukrainian Census (2001)
formed in Crimea in the late Middle Ages, after the Crimean Khanate had come into existence. The Crimean Tatars were forcibly expelled to Central Asia by Joseph Stalin's government. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars began to return to the region. According to the 2001 Ukrainian population census 58% of the population of Crimea are ethnic Russians and 24% are ethnic Ukrainians. The region has the highest proportion of Muslims in Ukraine.


Background

Since 1954,
Crimea Oblast 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 Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied by Ru ...
has been administratively part of the Ukrainian SSR. Shortly prior to the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
, Crimea was granted the status of Autonomous Republic by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR following a state-sanctioned referendum held on January 20, 1991. When Ukraine became independent, Crimea remained a republic within the country, leading to tensions between Russia and Ukraine as the
Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...
was based on the peninsula.


History


Post-Soviet years

Since Ukrainian independence, more than 250,000 Crimean Tatars have returned and integrated into the region. Between 1992-1995, a struggle about the division of powers between the Crimean and Ukrainian authorities ensued. On 26 February, the Crimean parliament renamed the ASSR the Republic of Crimea. Then on 5 May, it proclaimed self-governmentEastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2004
Routledge, 2003, (page 540)
and twice enacted constitutions that the Ukrainian government and Parliament refused to accept on the grounds that it was inconsistent with Ukraine's constitution.Russians in the Former Soviet Republics
by
Pål Kolstø Paul () is a common masculine given name in countries and ethnicities with a Christian heritage (Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism) and, beyond Europe, in Christian religious communities throughout the world. Paul – or its variation ...
,
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
, 1995, (page 194)
Finally in June 1992, the parties reached a compromise: Crimea would be given the status of "autonomous republic" and granted special economic status, as an autonomous but integral part of Ukraine. In October 1993, the Crimean parliament established the post of president of Crimea. Tensions rose in 1994 with election of separatist leader
Yury Meshkov Yuri Aleksandrovich Meshkov ( uk, Юрій Олександрович Мєшков, ''Yuriy Oleksandrovych Meshkov'', russian: Юрий Александрович Мешков; October 25, 1945 – September 29, 2019) was a Ukrainian politician ...
as Crimean president. On 17 March 1995, the parliament of Ukraine abolished the Crimean constitution of 1992, all the laws and decrees contradicting those of Kyiv, and also removed Yuriy Meshkov, the then president of Crimea, along with the office itself. After an interim constitution, the 1998 Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was put into effect, changing the territory's name to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.


Formation of the autonomous republic

Following the ratification of the May 1997 Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty, in which Russia recognized Ukraine's borders and sovereignty over Crimea, international tensions slowly eased. However, in 2006, anti-NATO protests broke out on the peninsula. In September 2008, the Ukrainian foreign minister
Volodymyr Ohryzko Volodymyr Stanislavovych Ohryzko ( uk, Володимир Станiславович Огризко; born April 1, 1956) is a Ukrainian diplomat. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine from December 18, 2007 to March 3, 2009, when ...
accused Russia of giving out Russian passports to the population in Crimea and described it as a "real problem" given Russia's declared policy of military intervention abroad to protect Russian citizens. On 24 August 2009, anti-Ukrainian demonstrations were held in Crimea by ethnic Russian residents.
Sergei Tsekov Sergei Pavlovich Tsekov (, uk, Сергій Павлович Цеков; born 28 September 1953 in Simferopol ) is a former Ukrainian and now Russian politician. Since 26 March 2014 he has been a senator of the Federation Council for the legislat ...
(of the
Russian Bloc The Russian Bloc (, Russian language, Russian: Русский блок) was a former political party, political alliance in Ukraine. It consisted of: *Party "Rus", Rus'-Ukrainian Union *Union Party (Ukraine), Union Party *Russian Bloc (party), Fo ...
and then deputy speaker of the
Crimean parliament The State Council of Crimea (russian: Госуда́рственный Сове́т Респу́блики Крым, uk, Державна Рада Республіки Крим, crh, Къырым Джумхуриетининъ Девлет Ш ...
) said then that he hoped that Russia would treat Crimea the same way as it had treated South Ossetia and
Abkhazia Abkhazia, ka, აფხაზეთი, tr, , xmf, აბჟუა, abzhua, or ( or ), officially the Republic of Abkhazia, is a partially recognised state in the South Caucasus, recognised by most countries as part of Georgia, which vi ...
. The
2010 Ukrainian–Russian Naval Base for Natural Gas treaty The Agreement between Ukraine and Russia on the Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine, widely referred to as the Kharkiv Pact ( ua, Харківський пакт) or Kharkov Accords (russian: Харьковские соглашения), was a treaty betw ...
extended Russia's lease on naval facilities in Crimea until 2042, with optional five-year renewals.


Occupation and annexation by Russia

Crimea voted strongly for the pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions in presidential and parliamentary elections,Local government elections in Ukraine: last stage in the Party of Regions’ takeover of power
,
Centre for Eastern Studies The Centre for Eastern Studies ( pl, Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich, OSW) is a Warsaw-based think tank that undertakes independent research on the political, economic and social situation in Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans, Caucasus and Central ...
(4 October 2010)
and his ousting on 22 February 2014 during the
2014 Ukrainian revolution The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,
was followed by a push by pro-Russian protesters for Crimea to secede from Ukraine and seek assistance from Russia. Four days later, thousands of pro-Russian and pro-Ukraine protesters clashed in front of the parliament building in Simferopol. On 28 February 2014, Russian forces occupied airports and other strategic locations in Crimea though the Russian foreign ministry stated that "movement of the Black Sea Fleet armored vehicles in Crimea (...) happens in full accordance with basic Russian-Ukrainian agreements on the Black Sea Fleet". Gunmen, either armed militants or Russian special forces, occupied the Crimean parliament and, under armed guard with doors locked, members of parliament elected Sergey Aksyonov as the new Crimean prime minister. Aksyonov then said that he asserted sole control over Crimea's security forces and appealed to Russia "for assistance in guaranteeing peace and calmness" on the peninsula. The interim government of Ukraine described events as an invasion and occupation and did not recognize the Aksyonov administration as legal. Ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych sent a letter to Putin asking him to use military force in Ukraine to restore law and order. On 1 March, the Russian parliament granted president Vladimir Putin the authority to use such force. Three days later, several Ukrainian bases and navy ships in Crimea reported being intimidated by Russian forces and Ukrainian warships were also effectively blockaded in Sevastopol. On 6 March, the Crimean parliament asked the Russian government for the region to become a subject of the Russian Federation with a Crimea-wide referendum on the issue set for 16 March. The Ukrainian government, the European Union, and the US all challenged the legitimacy of the request and of the proposed referendum as article 73 of the constitution of Ukraine states: "Alterations to the territory of Ukraine shall be resolved exclusively by an all-Ukrainian referendum." International monitors arrived in Ukraine to assess the situation but were halted by armed militants at the Crimean border. The day before the referendum, Ukraine's national parliament voted to dissolve the Supreme Council of Crimea as its pro-Moscow leaders were finalising preparations for the vote. The 16 March referendum required voters to choose between "Do you support rejoining Crimea with Russia as a subject of the Russian Federation?" and "Do you support restoration of the 1992 Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Crimea's status as a part of Ukraine?" There was no option on the ballot to maintain the status quo. However, support for the second question would have restored the republic's autonomous status within Ukraine. The official turnout for the referendum was 83%, and the overwhelming majority of those who voted (95.5%) supported the option of rejoining Russia. However, a BBC reporter claimed that a huge number of Tatars and Ukrainians had abstained from the vote. Following the referendum, the members of the Supreme Council voted to rename themselves the
State Council of the Republic of Crimea The State Council of Crimea (russian: Госуда́рственный Сове́т Респу́блики Крым, uk, Державна Рада Республіки Крим, crh, Къырым Джумхуриетининъ Девлет Ш ...
and also formally appealed to Russia to accept Crimea as part of the Russian Federation. This was granted and on 18 March 2014 the self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea signed a treaty of accession to the Russian Federation though the accession was granted separately for each of the former regions that composed it: one accession for the Republic of Crimea, and another for Sevastopol as a federal city. On 24 March 2014 the Ukrainian government ordered the full withdrawal of all of its armed forces from Crimea and two days later the last Ukrainian military bases and Ukrainian navy ships were captured by Russian troops."Russian troops captured all Ukrainian parts in the Crimea"
BBC Ukrainian (26 March 2014)
Ukraine, meanwhile, continues to claim Crimea as its territory and in 2015 the Ukrainian parliament designated 20 February 2014 as the (official) date of the start of "the temporary occupation of Crimea."Twitter verifies account of Russia's MFA in Crimea, Ukraine files complaint
UNIAN (11 January 2019)
"Nasha" Poklonsky promises to the "Berkut" fighters to punish the participants of the Maidan
Segodnya (20 March 2016)
On 27 March 2014 100 United Nations
member states A member state is a state that is a member of an international organization or of a federation or confederation. Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) include some members that are not sovereign states ...
voted for
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 was adopted on 27 March 2014 by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea and entitled "territorial integrity of Ukraine" ...
affirming the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
's commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders while 11 member states voted against, 58 abstained and 24 member states absented. Since then six countries ( Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela,
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, Afghanistan, and North Korea) have publicly recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea while
others Others or The Others may refer to: Fictional characters * Others (A Song of Ice and Fire), Others (''A Song of Ice and Fire''), supernatural creatures in the fictional world of George R. R. Martin's fantasy series ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' * Ot ...
have stated support for the 16 March 2014 Crimean referendum."These are the 6 countries on board with Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea"
'' Business Insider'', 31 May 2016.


Government and administration

Executive power in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was exercised by the Council of Ministers of Crimea, headed by a
Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
, appointed and dismissed by the Supreme Council of Crimea, with the consent of the President of Ukraine.Crimean parliament to decide on appointment of autonomous republic's premier on Tuesday
, Interfax Ukraine (7 November 2011)
Though not an official body, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People could address grievances to the Ukrainian central government, the Crimean government, and international bodies. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea had 25 administrative areas: 14 '' raions'' ( districts) and 11 ''mis'kradas'' and ''mistos'' (city municipalities), officially known as ''territories governed by city councils''. Major centres of urban development: An administrative reform, enacted by the '' Verkhovna Rada'' on 17 July 2020, envisages redivision of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea into 10 enlarged raions (districts), into which cities (municipalities) of republican significance will be absorbed. Delayed until return of the peninsula under Ukrainian control, the reform envisages the following subdivision of the republic:Постанова Верховної Ради України «Про утворення та ліквідацію районів»
17 липня 2020 року № 807-IX
#Bakhchysarai Raion () — composed of Bakhchysarai Raion and parts of territory that earlier was subordinated to the Sevastopol municipality (without the Sevastopol city proper and also without Balaklava as such that exists within the Sevastopol city limits within the framework of Ukrainian legislation), #Bilohirsk Raion () — composed of Bilohirsk and Nyzhniohirsk raions, #Dzhankoi Raion () — composed of Dzhankoi Raion and former Dzhankoi municipality, #Yevpatoria Raion () — composed of Saky and Chornomorske raions and former Yevpatoria and Saky municipalities, #Kerch Raion () — composed of Lenine Raion and former Kerch municipality, #Kurman Raion () — composed of Krasnohvardiysky and Pervomaisk raions, #Perekop Raion (Or ) — composed of Krasnoperekopsk and Rozdolne raions, former Armiansk and Krasnoperekopsk municipalities, #Simferopol Raion () — composed of Simferopol Raion and former Simferopol municipality, #Feodosia Raion () — composed of Kirovske and Sovietskyi raions, former Feodosia and Sudak municipalities, #Yalta Raion () — composed of former Yalta and Alushta municipalities.


See also

* Crimean Peninsula * Political status of Crimea * Presidential representative of Ukraine in Crimea


Notes


References


Further reading

*
Alexeenko A.O., Balyshev M.A. (2017). Scientific and technical documentation on the economic situation of the Crimean region in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1954-1991) (review of sources from the funds of the Central State Scientific and Technical Archive of Ukraine). ''Archives of Ukraine'', 2. P.103-113. (In Ukrainian)


External links

Official
www.ppu.gov.ua
website of the Presidential Representative in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
ark.gp.gov.ua
website of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Historical
www.rada.crimea.ua
website of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
Series about the recent political history of Crimea
by the Independent Analytical Centre for Geopolitical Studies "Borysfen Intel" {{Authority control Politics of Crimea Autonomous republics of Ukraine Disputed territories in Europe Russian-speaking countries and territories Subdivisions of Ukraine States and territories established in 1991 Autonomous governments in exile Republics Ukrainian territories claimed by Russia