Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

and a major port on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

and

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

throughout its history. Since the city's founding in 1783 it has been a major base for Russia's

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

. During the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

of the 20th century, it was a

closed city A closed city or town is a settlement where travel or residency restrictions are applied. Historically, the construction of closed cities became increasingly common after the beginning of the Cold War, particularly in the Soviet Union. Since t ...

. The total administrative area is and includes a significant amount of rural land. The urban population, largely concentrated around

Sevastopol Bay Sevastopol Bay (; ) is a city harbor that includes a series of smaller bays carved out along its shores. The bay of Sevastopol splits the city of Sevastopol into the Southern side and the Northern side. It serves as an extension of the Chorna (r ...

, is 479,394, and the total population is 547,820. Sevastopol, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, and under the Ukrainian legal framework, it is administratively one of two

cities with special status A city with special status (), formerly a "city of republican subordinance", is a type of first-level administrative division of Ukraine. Kyiv and Sevastopol are the only two such cities. Their administrative status is recognized in the Ukraini ...

(the other being

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

). However, it has been occupied by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

since 27 February 2014, before Russia annexed Crimea on 18 March 2014 and gave it the status of a federal city of Russia. Both Ukraine and Russia consider the city administratively separate from the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is a ''de jure'' administrative division of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,Republic of Crimea, respectively. The city's population has an ethnic

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

majority and a substantial minority of

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

and

Crimean Tatars Crimean Tatars (), or simply Crimeans (), are an Eastern European Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group and nation indigenous to Crimea. Their ethnogenesis lasted thousands of years in Crimea and the northern regions along the coast of the Blac ...

. Sevastopol's unique naval and maritime features have been the basis for a robust economy. The city enjoys mild winters and moderately warm summers, characteristics that help make it a popular

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

and tourist destination, mainly for visitors from the

former Soviet republics The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...

. The city is also an important centre for

marine biology Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and ...

research. In particular, the military has studied and trained

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

s in the city for military use since the 1960s.

Etymology

The name of Sevastopolis was originally chosen following the same

etymological Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

trend as other cities in the Crimean peninsula; it was intended to express its ancient Greek origins. It is a compound of the Greek adjective, ('' sebastós'', ; 'venerable') and the noun (''pólis'', 'city'). is the traditional Greek equivalent (see

Sebastian Sebastian may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sebastian (name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century * Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578 ...

) of the Roman honorific ''

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

'', originally given to the first emperor of the Roman Empire,

and later awarded as a title to his successors. The city was probably named after Empress (" Augusta")

Catherine II Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

who founded Sevastopol in 1783. She visited the city in 1787, accompanied by

Joseph II Joseph II (13 March 1741 – 20 February 1790) was Holy Roman Emperor from 18 August 1765 and sole ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 29 November 1780 until his death. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Emperor F ...

, the Emperor of Austria, and other foreign dignitaries. In the west of the city, there are well-preserved ruins of the ancient Greek port city of

Chersonesos Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from Heraclea Pontica in Bithynia established the colon ...

, founded in the 5th century BC by settlers from

Heraclea Pontica Heraclea Pontica (; ; , ), known in Byzantine and later times as Pontoheraclea (), was an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor, at the mouth of the river Lycus. The site is now the location of the modern city Karadeniz Ereğli, in ...

. This name means "peninsula", reflecting its immediate location. It is not related to the ancient Greek name for the Crimean Peninsula as a whole: ''Chersonēsos Taurikē'' ("the

Tauri The Tauri (; in Ancient Greek), or Taurians, also Scythotauri, Tauri Scythae, Tauroscythae ( Pliny, ''H. N.'' 4.85) were an ancient people settled on the southern coast of the Crimea peninsula, inhabiting the Crimean Mountains in the 1st millen ...

an Peninsula"). The name of the city is spelled as: * English: ''Sevastopol'', the current prevalent spelling; the previously common spelling ''Sebastopol'' was used because the letter 'V' in the Cyrillic spelling, "Севасто́поль", looks like a Western letter 'B'. This form is still used by some publications, and formerly by ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

''. The current spelling has the pronunciation , while the former spelling has the pronunciation . * , , or ''Sivastopol''; , . * ,

History

Ancient Chersonesus

In the 6th century BC, a Greek colony was established in the area of the modern-day city. The Greek city of

Chersonesus Chersonesus, contracted in medieval Greek to Cherson (), was an Greeks in pre-Roman Crimea, ancient Greek Greek colonization, colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Settlers from He ...

existed for almost two thousand years, first as an independent democracy and later as part of the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (; ), was an ancient Greco-Scythians, Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day ...

. In the 13th and 14th centuries, it was sacked by the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

several times and was finally totally abandoned. The modern day city of Sevastopol has no connection to the ancient and medieval Greek city other than geographical location, but the ruins are a popular tourist attraction located on the outskirts of the city.

Part of the Russian Empire

Sevastopol was founded in June 1783 as a base for a naval squadron under the name Akhtiar (''White Cliff''), by Rear Admiral Thomas MacKenzie ("Foma Fomich Makenzi"), a native

Scot Scottish people or Scots (; ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who founded the Kingdom of Scotland (or ...

in Russian service; soon after, the

annexed the

Crimean Khanate The Crimean Khanate, self-defined as the Throne of Crimea and Desht-i Kipchak, and in old European historiography and geography known as Little Tartary, was a Crimean Tatars, Crimean Tatar state existing from 1441 to 1783, the longest-lived of th ...

. Five years earlier,

Alexander Suvorov Count Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov-Rymniksky, Prince of Italy () was a Russian general and military theorist in the service of the Russian Empire. Born in Moscow, he studied military history as a young boy and joined the Imperial Russian ...

had ordered that earthworks be erected along the harbour and Russian troops be placed there. The Crimean Tatar version of this name is now written '' Aqyar''. In February 1784,

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

ordered

Grigory Potyomkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (A number of dates as late as 1742 have been found on record; the veracity of any one is unlikely to be proved. This is his "official" birth-date as given on his tombstone.) was a Russian mi ...

to build a fortress there and call it Sevastopol. The realisation of the initial building plans fell to Captain

Fyodor Ushakov Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov ( rus, Фёдор Фёдорович Ушаков, Fëdor Fëdorovič Ušakov, p=ʊʂɐˈkof; – ) was an Imperial Russian Navy officer best known for his service in the French Revolutionary and Napoleon ...

who in 1788 was named commander of the

and of the Black Sea squadron. The city was established on the western shore of Southern Bay which branches away from the bigger

. The ruins of ancient Chersonesus were situated to the west. The newly built settlement became an important

and later a commercial

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

. In 1797, under an edict issued by Emperor Paul I, the military stronghold was again renamed Akhtiar. Finally, on 29 April (10 May), 1826, the Senate returned the city's name to Sevastopol. In 1803 to 1864 along with

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

the city was part of Nikolayev–Sevastopol Military Governorate. The town had 3,000 inhabitants by the 1840s. Sevastopol British Memorial Complex

Crimean War

From 1853 to 1856, the Crimean peninsula's strategic position in controlling the Black Sea caused it to be the site of the principal engagements of the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

, where Russia lost to a French-led alliance. After a minor skirmish at Köstence (now

Constanța Constanța (, , ) is a city in the Dobruja Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Romania. A port city, it is the capital of Constanța County and the country's Cities in Romania, fourth largest city and principal port on the Black ...

), the allied commanders decided to attack Sevastopol as Russia's main naval base in the Black Sea. After extended preparations, allied forces landed on the peninsula in September 1854 and marched to a point south of Sevastopol after winning the

Battle of the Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Sept ...

on 20 September. The Russians counterattacked on 25 October in what became the

Battle of Balaclava The Battle of Balaclava, fought on 25 October 1854 during the Crimean War, was part of the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), an Allied attempt to capture the port and fortress of Sevastopol, Russian Empire, Russia's principal naval base on the Bl ...

and were repulsed, but the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

's forces were seriously depleted as a result. A second Russian counterattack, at Inkerman in November, ended in a stalemate as well. The front settled into the siege of Sevastopol, involving brutal conditions for troops on both sides. Sevastopol finally fell after eleven months, after the French had assaulted Fort Malakoff. Isolated and facing a bleak prospect of invasion by the West if the war continued, Russia

sued for peace Suing for peace is an act by a warring party to initiate a peace process. Rationales "Suing for", in this older sense of the phrase, means "pleading or petitioning for". Suing for peace is usually initiated by the losing party in an attempt to ...

in March 1856. France and Britain welcomed the development, owing to the conflict's domestic unpopularity. The Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 March 1856, ended the war and forbade Russia from basing warships in the Black Sea. This hampered the Russians during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and in the aftermath of that conflict, Russia moved to reconstitute its naval strength and fortifications in the Black Sea.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Sevastopol withstood intensive bombardment by the Germans in 1941–42, supported by their Italian and Romanian allies during the

Battle of Sevastopol A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

. German forces used railway artillery—including history's largest-ever calibre railway artillery piece in battle, the 80-cm calibre ''

Schwerer Gustav Schwerer Gustav (English: ''Heavy Gustav'') was a German railway gun. It was developed in the late 1930s by Krupp in Rügenwalde as siege artillery for the explicit purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line, the stronges ...

''—and specialised mobile heavy mortars to destroy Sevastopol's extremely heavy fortifications, such as the

Maxim Gorky Fortresses Armoured Coastal Batteries #30 and #35, commonly known in English as Maxim Gorky I and Maxim Gorky II, were coastal battery, coastal batteries used by the Soviet Union during the Crimean Campaign of World War II. The Operation Barbarossa, invading ...

. After fierce fighting, which lasted for 250 days, the fortress city finally fell to Axis forces in July 1942. It was intended to be renamed to "''Theodorichshafen''" (in reference to

Theodoric the Great Theodoric (or Theoderic) the Great (454 – 30 August 526), also called Theodoric the Amal, was king of the Ostrogoths (475–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy between 493 and 526, regent of the Visigoths (511–526 ...

and the fact that Crimea had been home to Germanic

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

until the 18th or 19th century) in the event of a German victory against the Soviet Union, and like the rest of Crimea was designated for future colonisation by the Third Reich. It was liberated by the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

on 9 May 1944 and was awarded the Hero City title a year later.

Part of the Ukrainian SSR

During the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

era, Sevastopol became a so-called "

". This meant that any non-residents had to apply to the authorities for a temporary permit to visit the city. On 29 October 1948, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Russian SFSR issued an ''ukaz'' (order) which confirmed the special status of the city. Soviet academic publications since 1954, including the ''

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; , ''BSE'') is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Great Russian Enc ...

'', indicated that Sevastopol,

Crimean Oblast * oblast An oblast ( or ) is a type of administrative division in Bulgaria and several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was used in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The term ''oblast'' is often tr ...

was part of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

. In 1954, under

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

, both Sevastopol and the remainder of the Crimean peninsula were administratively transferred from being territories within the Russian SFSR to being territories administered by the Ukrainian SSR. Administratively, Sevastopol was a municipality excluded from the adjacent

. The territory of the municipality was 863.5 km² and it was further subdivided into four raions (districts). Besides the City of Sevastopol proper, it also included two towns—Balaklava (having had no status until 1957), Inkerman, urban-type settlement Kacha, and 29 villages. For the 1955 Ukrainian parliamentary elections on 27 February, Sevastopol was split into two electoral districts, Stalinsky and Korabelny (initially requested three Stalinsky, Korabelny, and Nakhimovsky). Eventually, Sevastopol received two people's deputies of the

elected to the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

, A. Korovchenko and M. Kulakov. In 1957, the town of

Balaklava Balaklava ( Ukrainian and , , ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklavsky District that used to be part of the Crimean Oblast before it was transferred to Sevast ...

was incorporated into Sevastopol.

Part of Ukraine

Following

's declaration of

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

from the USSR in 1991, Sevastopol became the principal base of the

Ukrainian navy The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...

. As the key naval base of the former Soviet

, it was a source of tensions for

Russia–Ukraine relations There are currently no diplomatic or bilateral relations between Russia and Ukraine. The two states have been at war since Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula in February 2014, and Russian-control ...

until a set-term lease agreement was signed in 1997. On 10 July 1993, the

Russian parliament The Federal Assembly is the bicameral national legislature of Russia. The upper house is the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council, and the lower house is the State Duma. The assembly was established by the Constitution of the Russian F ...

passed a resolution declaring Sevastopol to be "a federal Russian city".''Secession as an International Phenomenon: From America's Civil War to Contemporary Separatist Movements'' edited by Don Harrison Doyle (page 284) At the time, many supporters of President

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

had ceased taking part in the parliament's work. On 20 July 1993, the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

denounced the decision of the Russian parliament. According to Anatoliy Zlenko, it was the first time that the council had to review and qualify actions of a legislative body. On 14 April 1993, the Presidium of the Crimean Parliament called for the creation of the presidential post of the Crimean Republic. A week later, the Russian deputy, Valentin Agafonov, said that

was ready to supervise a referendum on Crimean independence and include the republic as a separate entity in the CIS. On 28 July 1993, one of the leaders of the Russian Society of Crimea, Viktor Prusakov, said that his organisation was ready for an armed mutiny and the establishment of Russian administration of Sevastopol. In September, the commander of the joint Russian-Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet, , accused Ukraine of converting some of his fleet and conducting an armed assault on his personnel and threatened to take countermeasures placing the fleet on alert. (In June 1992, the Russian president Yeltsin and the Ukrainian president

Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk (, ; 10 January 1934 – 10 May 2022) was a Ukrainian politician and the first president of Ukraine, serving from 5 December 1991 until 19 July 1994. In 1992, he signed the Lisbon Protocol, undertaking to give up Ukrai ...

had agreed to divide the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet between Russia and Ukraine. Eduard Baltin had been appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet by Yeltsin and Kravchuk on 15 January 1993.) The Moscow mayor

Yury Luzhkov Yury Mikhailovich Luzhkov ( rus, Юрий Михайлович Лужков, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ lʊˈʂkof; 1936 – 10 December 2019) was a Russian politician who served as mayor of Moscow from 1992 to 2010. Before the elect ...

to claim the city, and in December 1996, the Russian

Federation Council The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, with the lower house being the State Duma. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. Each of the 89 federal s ...

officially endorsed the claim, threatening negotiations. In response, Ukraine proposed a "special partnership" with NATO in January 1997. In May 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed the Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty, ruling out Moscow's territorial claims to Ukraine. This was followed by the

Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet The Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet consists of three bilateral agreements between Russia and Ukraine signed on 28 May 1997 whereby the two countries established two independent national fleets, divided armame ...

on 28 May 1997. A separate agreement established the terms of a long-term lease of land, facilities, and resources in Sevastopol and the Crimea by Russia. Russia kept its naval base, with around 15,000 troops stationed in Sevastopol. Vladimir Putin in Ukraine 28-29 July 2001-17

Vladimir Putin in Ukraine 28-29 July 2001-17

The ex-Soviet Black Sea Fleet and its facilities were divided between Russia's Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Naval Forces. The two navies co-used some of the city's harbours and piers, while others were demilitarised or used by either country. Sevastopol remained the location of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters, and the Ukrainian Naval Forces Headquarters were also located in the city. A judicial row periodically continued over the naval hydrographic infrastructure both in Sevastopol and on the Crimean coast (especially

lighthouses A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark ...

historically maintained by the Soviet and Russian Navy and also used for civil navigation support). As in the rest of Crimea, Russian remained the predominant language of the city, although following the independence of Ukraine there were some attempts at

Ukrainisation Ukrainization or Ukrainisation ( ) is a policy or practice of increasing the usage and facilitating the development of the Ukrainian language and promoting other elements of Ukrainian culture in various spheres of public life such as education, ...

, with very little success. Russian society in general and even some outspoken government representatives never accepted the loss of Sevastopol and tended to regard it as temporarily separated from Russia. In July 2009, the chairman of the

Sevastopol City Council The Sevastopol City Council ( Crimean Tatar: Aqyar şeer şurası, , ) is the unicameral legislature of the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol. The council is composed of 76 members. Background The city state administration was first created in 1992 ...

, Valeriy Saratov (

Party of Regions A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

), said that Ukraine should increase the amount of compensation it is paying to the city of Sevastopol for hosting the foreign Russian Black Sea Fleet, instead of requesting such compensation from the Russian government and the Russian Ministry of Defense in particular. On 27 April 2010, Russia and Ukraine ratified the Russian Ukrainian Naval Base for Gas treaty, which extended the Russian Navy's lease of the Crimean facilities for 25 years after 2017 (through 2042) with the option to prolong the lease in five-year extensions. The ratification process in the

Ukrainian parliament The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capi ...

encountered stiff opposition and even resulted in a brawl in the parliament chamber. Eventually, the treaty was ratified by a 52% majority vote—236 of 450. The Russian Duma ratified the treaty by a 98% majority.

Occupation and annexation by Russia

On 23 February 2014, a pro-Russian rally took place in Nakhimov Square declaring allegiance to Russia and protesting against the new government in

following the overthrow of the president,

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

. On 27 February, pro-Russian militia, including Russian troops, seized control of government buildings in Crimea, and by 28 February, controlled other strategic locations such as the military airport in Sevastopol. On 16 March 2014, an internationally unrecognised

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

was held in Sevastopol with official results claiming an 89.51% turnout and 95.6% of voters choosing to join Russia. Ukraine and almost all other countries of the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

consider the referendum illegal and illegitimate. On 18 March, Russia annexed Crimea, incorporating the Republic of Crimea and

federal city The term federal city is a title for certain cities in Germany, Switzerland, Russia, and several national capitals. Germany In Germany, the former West German capital Bonn has been designated with the title of federal city (''Bundesstadt''), ma ...

of Sevastopol as

federal subjects of Russia The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation () or simply as the subjects of the federation (), are the administrative division, constituent entities of Russia, its top-level political division ...

. However, the annexation remains internationally unrecognised, with most countries recognizing Sevastopol as a

city with special status A city with special status (), formerly a "city of republican subordinance", is a type of first-level administrative division of Ukraine. Kyiv and Sevastopol are the only two such cities. Their administrative status is recognized in the Ukrain ...

within Ukraine. While Russia has taken ''de facto'' control of Sevastopol and Crimea, the international community considers the area as part of Ukraine.

Geography

The city of Sevastopol is located at the southwestern tip of the Crimean peninsula in a headland known as Heracles peninsula on a coast of the

. The city is designated a special city-region of Ukraine which besides the city itself includes several of its outlying settlements. The city itself is concentrated mostly in the western portion of the region and around the long Bay of Sevastopol. This bay is a

ria A ria (; , feminine noun derived from ''río'', river) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendriti ...

, a river canyon drowned by

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

sea-level rise, and the outlet of Chorna River. Away in a remote location southeast of Sevastopol is located the former city of

(since 1957 incorporated within Sevastopol), the bay of which in the Soviet era served as a main port for the Soviet diesel-powered submarines. The coastline of the region is mostly rocky, in a series of smaller bays, a great number of which are located within the Bay of Sevastopol. The biggest of them are Southern Bay (within the Bay of Sevastopol), Archer Bay, a gulf complex that consists of Deergrass Bay, the Bay of Cossack, Salty Bay, and many others. There are over thirty bays in the immediate region. Three rivers flow through the region: the Belbek, Chorna, and Kacha. All three mountain chains of the Crimean mountains are represented in Sevastopol, the southern chain by the Balaklava Highlands, the inner chain by the Mekenziev Mountains, and the outer chain by the Kara-Tau Upland (Black Mountain).

Climate

Sevastopol has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa''). Due to the summer mean straddling it borders on a four-season

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

, with cold winters and warm summers. The average yearly temperature is during the day and around at night. In the coldest months, January and February, the average temperature is during the day and around at night. In the warmest months, July and August, the average temperature is around during the day and around at night. Generally, the summer/holiday season lasts 5 months, from around mid-May and into September, with the temperature often reaching or more in the first half of October. The average annual temperature of the sea is , ranging from in February to in August. From June to September, the average sea temperature is greater than . In the second half of May and the first half of October; the average sea temperature is about . The average rainfall is about per year. There are about 2,345 hours of sunshine duration per year.

Politics and government

Ukrainian administration

According to the

Constitution of Ukraine The Constitution of Ukraine (, ) is the fundamental law of Ukraine. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the ''Verkhovna Rada'', the parliament of Ukraine, on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes o ...

, Sevastopol is administered as a

City with special status A city with special status (), formerly a "city of republican subordinance", is a type of first-level administrative division of Ukraine. Kyiv and Sevastopol are the only two such cities. Their administrative status is recognized in the Ukrain ...

. Executive power in Sevastopol is exercised by the Sevastopol City State Administration, led by a chairman (also known as mayor) appointed by the Ukrainian president. The

is the legislature of Sevastopol. Sevastopol is administratively divided into four districts: * Gagarin Raion * Lenin Raion * Nakhimov Raion * Balaklava Raion

Russian occupation

On 18 March 2014, Russia claimed to have annexed Crimea with Sevastopol being administered as a

of Russia, the others being

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

. ;Executive The head of the executive branch in the city is the Governor of Sevastopol. According to the city charter, amended on 29 November 2016, the governor is elected in a direct election for a term of five years and no more than two consecutive terms. The current governor is

Mikhail Razvozhayev Mikhail Vladimirovich Razvozhayev (Russian: Михаил Владимирович Развожаев; born 30 December 1980) is a Russian statesman and politician. He has been the internationally unrecognized governor of Sevastopol since 2 Octo ...

. ;Legislature During the annexation of Ukrainian Crimea by Russia, the pro-Russian

threw its support behind Russian citizen Alexei Chaly as a "people's mayor" and said it would not recognise orders from

. After Russia annexed Crimea, the

Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol The Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol () is the regional parliament of Sevastopol. It '' de facto'' replaced the Sevastopol City Council after the Russian military intervention in Crimea in 2014. The legislature is composed of 24 members. El ...

replaced the City Council. ;Administrative and municipal divisions Within the Russian municipal framework, the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol is divided into nine municipal okrugs and the town of

Inkerman Inkerman (; ; ) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is '' de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but ''de jure'' within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine. It lies 5 kilometres (3 miles ...

. While individual municipal divisions are contained within the borders of the administrative districts, they are not otherwise related to the administrative districts.

Economy

Apart from navy-related civil facilities, Sevastopol hosts some other notable industries. An example is Stroitel, a major

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

manufacturer.

Industry

* Sevastopol Aircraft Plant, SMZ Sevastopol Shipyards (main at Naval Bay) & Inkerman Shipyards, Balaklava Bay Shipyard * Impuls 2 SMZ *

Chornomornaftogaz Chornomornaftogaz (, lit. "Black Sea oil and gas") is a Ukrainian oil and gas company with natural gas fields in the Black Sea. The company was established in Ukrainian Simferopol, Crimea with the order of the Ministry of Gas Industry of the US ...

§ Chernomorneftegaz (Chjornomor), oil/gas extraction, petrochemical, jack rigs and oil platforms, LNG and oil tankers. * AO FNGUP Granit subsidiary of Almaz Antej, assembly, overhaul, and maintenance of SAM and radar EW complexes, ADS services. * Sevastopol (Parus SPriborMZ, Mayak, NPO Elektron, NPP Kvant, Tavrida Elektronik, Musson, and other industrial plants) * Sevastopol Economic Industrial Zone SevPZ (SE area) * Persej SMZ ship repair and floating dock yard plant (South Bay, Sevastopol) * Sevastopol ship repair and floating docks yards (various) * Metallurgy, Chemical Plants, and other industries. * Agriculture: rice, wheat, grapes, tea, fruits, and tobacco (lesser). * Mining: iron, titanium, manganese, aluminum, calcite silicates, and amethyst. * Kerch bridge, Taurida highway, Sevastopol GasTES plus solar FV plants, gas and petrol depots, and coal derivatives.

Infrastructure

There are different types of transport in Sevastopol: * Bus – 101 lines * Trolley bus – 14 lines * Minibus – 52 lines * Cutter – 6 lines * Ferry – 1 line * Express bus – 15 lines * HEV train (local, suburban route) – 1 route * Airport – 1 Sevastopol Shipyard comprises three facilities that together repair, modernise, and re-equip Russian Naval ships and submarines. The Sevastopol International Airport is used as a military aerodrome at the moment and being reconstructed to be used by international airlines. Sevastopol maintains a large port facility in the Bay of Sevastopol and in smaller bays around the Heracles peninsula. The port handles traffic from passengers (local transportation and cruise), cargo, and commercial fishing. The port infrastructure is fully integrated with the city of Sevastopol and the naval bases of the

Tourism

Due to its military history, most streets in the city are named after Russian and Soviet military heroes. There are hundreds of monuments and plaques in various parts of Sevastopol commemorating its military past. Attractions include: File:Sevastopol Crimea-5243.jpg, Sevastopol Artillery Bay view File:Sevastopol Crimea-4856.jpg, The seaside of Sevastopol File:Sevastopol 04-14 img09 Vladimir Cathedral.jpg, St. Vladimir's Cathedral at 'the city hill' File:Sevastopol 04-14 img06 Peter and Paul Cathedral.jpg, Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral File:Sevastopol 04-14 img17 View to Northern Side.jpg, View of the Northern side File:Sevastopol 04-14 img14 PozharovaStreet Old Cemetery.jpg, Old city cemetery File:Sevastopol 04-14 img01 railway station.jpg, Main railway station File:Musee Sevastopol.jpg, The Panorama Museum (The Heroic Defence of Sevastopol during the

) File:Building of Diorama Storm of Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944 in Sevastopol.jpg, The Storming of Sapun-gora of 7 May 1944, the Diorama Museum (

) File:Balaklava, Sevastopol.jpg, Entrance to

bay, 2010 File:Андріївка-пляж.JPG, Steep West Bank, Andriivka File:Херсонесское_побережье_и_вид_на_севастополь.jpg, The rocky shore of Heracles of the Ey Peninsula, Chersonesos File:15.Мис_Фіолент_(9).jpg, The high shore of Cape Fiolent File:Ласпи_053.jpg, South bank landscape, Laspi File:Sevastopol004.jpg, South bay File:Balaclava_bay.jpg, Balaklava bay File:Балаклавские_горы.jpg, View of Sevastopol from Balaklava Heights File:Verhnesadovoe_2.JPG, Road, Verkhniosadove village

Demographics

The population of Sevastopol is 509,992, consisting of 479,394 urban residents and 30,598 rural (January 2021), making it the most populous city of the

Crimean Peninsula Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...

. The city has retained an ethnic Russian majority throughout its history. In 1989 the proportion of Russians living in the city was 74.4%, and by the time of the Ukrainian National Census, 2001, the ethnic groups of Sevastopol included

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

(71.6%),

(22.4%),

Belarusians Belarusians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Belarus. They natively speak Belarusian language, Belarusian, an East Slavic language. More than 9 million people proclaim Belarusian ethnicity worldwide. Nearly 7.99&n ...

(1.6%),

Tatars Tatars ( )Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary are a group of Turkic peoples across Eas ...

(0.7%),

(0.5%),

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

(0.3%),

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

s (0.3%),

Moldovans Moldovans, sometimes referred to as Moldavians (, , ), are an ethnic group native to Moldova, who mostly speak the Romanian language, also referred to locally as Moldovan language, Moldovan. Moldovans form significant communities in Romania, It ...

(0.2%), and

Azerbaijanis Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predomin ...

(0.2%). Vital statistics for 2015: *Births: 5 471 (13.7 per 1000) *Deaths: 6 072 (15.2 per 1000)

Life expectancy

In 2015, Sevastopol had the largest decrease in

life expectancy Human life expectancy is a statistical measure of the estimate of the average remaining years of life at a given age. The most commonly used measure is ''life expectancy at birth'' (LEB, or in demographic notation ''e''0, where '' ...

at birth among all regions of Russia.
In 2020, after beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sevastopol became the only region of Russia where there was increase of life expectancy.
In 2021, average life expectancy at birth in Sevastopol was 72.25 years (67.87 for males and 76.43 for females). File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Sevastopol.png, Life expectancy in Sevastopol File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Sevastopol -diff.png, Life expectancy with calculated differences File:Life expectancy in Russia -Crimea.png, Life expectancy in Sevastopol in comparison with Crimea on average and neighboring regions of the country File:Life expectancy in Russian subject -Crimea and its parts.png, Life expectancy in Sevastopol in comparison with Crimea on average (in detail)

Culture

There are many historical buildings in the central and eastern parts of the city and Balaklava, some of which are architectural monuments. The Western districts have modern architecture. More recently, numerous skyscrapers have been built. Balaklava Bayfront Plaza (on hold), currently under construction, will be one of the tallest buildings in Ukraine, at with 43 floors. After the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrain ...

the city's monument to

Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny (; ; born – 20 April 1622) was a political and civic leader and member of the Ruthenian nobility, who served as Hetman of Zaporizhian Cossacks, Hetman of Zaporozhian Cossacks from 1616 to 1622. During his tenur ...

was removed and handed over to

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Education

*Economics and Humanities Institute (Branch),

Crimean Federal University V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University is a higher education institution located in Simferopol, Crimea, created in 2014 on the basis of Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University. The university offers organizational, scientific and methodologic ...

* Sevastopol National Technical University * Sevastopol National University of Nuclear Energy and Industry

Notable people

* Alla Kostromichova (born 1986) a Ukrainian fashion model and TV presenter. *

Arkady Averchenko Arkady Timofeevich Averchenko (; 27 March 1881 – 12 March 1925) was a Russian playwright and satire, satirist. He published his stories in the journal ''Satirikon'', of which he was also an editor, in the series of ''Novyi Satirikon, New Sati ...

(1881–1925) a Russian playwright and satirist. * Oleksiy Bessarabov (born 1976) a Ukrainian journalist *

Igor Cassini Count Igor Cassini Loiewski (September 15, 1915 – January 5, 2002) was a Russian-American syndicated gossip columnist for the Hearst newspaper chain. He was one of the journalists to write the '' Cholly Knickerbocker'' column. Career He was ...

(1915–2002) a Russian-American syndicated gossip columnist for the Hearst newspaper chain. * Aleksei Chaly (born 1961) a businessman and former de facto mayor of Sevastopol. * Alexander Galich (1918–1977) a Soviet poet, playwright, singer-songwriter and dissident. * Gulyayev Dmitry Igorevich (born 1986), stage name ''

Dimal Dimal may refer to * Dimal (municipality), in Berat County, central Albania * Dimal (rapper), from Ukraine {{disamb, geo ...

'', rapper, songwriter and entertainer, based in Malta. * Lola Gjoka (1910–1985) an Albanian pianist * Tatiana Godovalnikova (born 1962) a Russian contemporary artist. *

Rimma Kazakova Rimma Fyodorovna Kazakova (; 27 January 1932 – 19 May 2008) was a Soviet and Russian poet and translator. She was known for writing many popular songs of the Soviet era. Biography Kazakova was born in Sevastopol, Soviet Union. She graduated fro ...

(1932–2008) a Soviet/Russian poet who wrote popular songs. * Sasha Krasny (1882– 1995), a Russian poet and songwriter. * Aleksandr Kuznetsov (born 1992) a Ukrainian-Russian actor in Russian films and TV *

Ileana Leonidoff Ileana Leonidoff (3 March 1893 – 1 January 1968) is a pseudonym for Elena Sergeevna Pisarevskaya (), a Russian-born emigrée who first made a career in Italy in silent films and then as a noted dancer and choreographer. She was the founder and l ...

(1893–1968) emigrée actress in silent films; then dancer and choreographer. * Kseniya Mishyna (born 1989) a Ukrainian film and stage actress. *

Mikhail Samoilovich Neiman Mikhail Samoilovich Neiman (March 7, 1905, in Sevastopol, Russian Empire – June 25, 1975, in Moscow, USSR) was a Soviet physicist, Doctor of Technical Sciences and professor. The main directions of his research were the study of the ultra-high ...

(1905–1975) a Soviet physicist and academic professor. * Aleksandr Nosatov (born 1963) an admiral in the

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

. * Ivan Papanin (1894–1986) a Soviet polar explorer, scientist and

Counter Admiral Counter admiral is a military rank used for high-ranking officers in several navies around the world, though the rank is not used in the English-speaking world, where its equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French . Dependi ...

* Sergei Pinchuk (born 1971) a vice-admiral in the

. * Olga von Root (1902–1967), Russian noblewoman, singer, and stage actress * Mikhail Sablin (1869–1920), an admiral in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

* Semen Semenchenko (born 1974), a Ukrainian politician and founder of the Donbas Battalion. *

Anton Shkaplerov Anton Nikolaevich Shkaplerov (; born 20 February 1972) is a former Russian cosmonaut. He is a veteran of four spaceflights. Early life Shkaplerov was born 20 February 1972, in Sevastopol, Crimea. He is married to Tatyana Petrovna, and they hav ...

(born 1972) a Russian cosmonaut with four spaceflights. * Antonina Shuranova (1936–2003) a Russian stage, TV and film actress. * Alexandra Voronin (1905—1993) the Russian wife of Norwegian fascist

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...

Sport

* Lyudmila Aksyonova (born 1947) 400 metre athlete, team bronze medallist at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

* Aleksandr Fyodorov (born 1981) water polo player and team bronze medallist at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. * Andriy Govorov (born 1992), a Ukrainian swimmer and world record holder in 50 meters butterfly * Svitlana Matevusheva (born 1981) a sailor and team silver medallist at the

Alexander Onischuk Alexander Vasylovych Onischuk born September 3, 1975) is a chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1994, and won the 2006 U.S. championship. Career In 1991, Onischuk represented the Soviet Union and took 2nd place in ...

(born 1975) a Ukrainian-American chess Grandmaster * Galina Prozumenshchikova (1948–2015) a Soviet breaststroke swimmer; five Olympic medals in 1964, 1968 and 1972 * Marina Durunda (born 1997) an Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast; finalist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

Gallery

File:Sevastopol 04-14 img04 view from Suvorov Square.jpg, View of Sevastopol File:Soviet and Russian Black Sea Fleet.jpg, Ships of the

docked in Sevastopol File:Sevastopol. Nakhimov square.JPG, Nakhimov Square File:Sevastopol Nahimova 4-1.jpg, Palace of Culture File:SevaTeatr.jpg, Lunacharsky Theater File:Sevastopol Nahimova 4-2.jpg, Artillery Bay File:Navy Day Sevastopol 2012 G03.jpg, 2012 Navy Day joint celebration (Russian AF) File:Navy Day Sevastopol 2012 G04.jpg, 2012 Navy Day joint celebration (Ukrainian AF) File:Boat U170 Skadovsk 2012 G1.jpg,

Ukrainian Navy The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...

artillery boat U170 in the Bay of Sevastopol File:Celebrating Victory Day and the 70th anniversary of Sevastopol’s liberation (2493-07).jpg, Victory Day in Sevastopol, 9 May 2014

Notes

References

External links

* * (Russian administration) * (Ukrainian administration)
Satellite picture by Google MapsThe murder of the Jews of Sevastopol
during

, at

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...

website. {{Authority control Port cities of the Black Sea Disputed territories in Europe Populated coastal places in Russia Populated coastal places in Ukraine Populated places established in 1783 Port cities and towns in Russia Port cities and towns in Ukraine Taurida Governorate Crimean Federal District Southern Federal District Cities in Crimea Cities with special status in Ukraine Federal cities of Russia Populated places established in the Russian Empire Countries and territories where Russian is an official language 1783 establishments in the Russian Empire Holocaust locations in Russia Holocaust locations in Ukraine Former closed cities