Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation

In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine after an illegitimate plebiscite. This is the event took place after the Revolution of Dignity. It is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

## Beginning

On 22–23 February 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with security service chiefs to discuss how to save the deposed Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych. At the end of the meeting, Putin remarked that "we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia". On 23 February, pro-Russian demonstrations were held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. On 27 February, masked Russian soldiers in unmarked green military uniforms  took over the Supreme Council (parliament) of Crimea and captured strategic sites across Crimea, which led to the installation of the pro-Russian Sergey Aksyonov government in Crimea.  This government held the Crimean status referendum, and declared Crimea's independence on 16 March 2014. Russia formally incorporated Crimea as two Russian federal subjects—the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on 18 March 2014. After the event, Russia deployed more military on the peninsula and came with threats about using nuclear weapons so that Russia could keep its new power in Crimea (or solidify the new status quo on the ground).

## Responses

Ukraine and many other countries condemned the annexation and consider it to be a violation of international law, as well as Russian-signed agreements safeguarding the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the 1991 Belavezha Accords that established the Commonwealth of Independent States, the 1975 Helsinki Accords, the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and the 1997 Treaty on friendship, cooperation and partnership between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. It led to the other members of the then G8 suspending Russia from the group and then introducing a first round of sanctions against the country. The United Nations General Assembly also rejected the referendum and annexation, adopting a resolution affirming the "territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders". The UN resolution also "underscores that the referendum [is not valid, and] cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of [Crimea]" and called upon all states and international organizations not to recognize or to imply the recognition of Russia's annexation. In 2016, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed non-recognition of the annexation and condemned "the temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine—the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol".

The Russian government opposes the "annexation" label, with Putin defending the referendum as complying with the principle of self-determination of peoples.

## Names

The conflict has many names.

In Russia, it is known as
- **accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation** (),
- **the return of Crimea** () and the **reunification of Crimea**. In Ukraine, the names are also known as the
- **Temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia** (),
- the **illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea**, the **fall of Crimea** and the **invasion of Crimea**.

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **conflict**: Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
- **partof**: the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine and the Russo-Ukrainian War
- **image**:
- **caption**: President of the Russian Federation, Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the treaty of accession with Crimean leaders in Moscow, 18 March 2014.
- **place**: Crimean Peninsula
- **result**: **Russian strategic and territorial victory**
- **strength1**: **Protesters**
*
* 10,000 (Simferopol)

**Volunteer units**
* 5,000 (Sevastopol)
* 1,700 (Simferopol)

**Russian military forces**
* 20,000–30,000 troops
- **strength2**: **Protesters**
* 4,000–10,000 (Simferopol)

*
* 40,000 reservists, partly mobilised (outside Crimea)
- **casualties1**: 1 Crimean SDF trooper killed
- **casualties3**: 2 civilian deaths (during the protests), 1 civilian killed (by Crimean SDF under command of a Russian Armed Forces, former Russian serviceman)
- **units1**: **Based in Crimea,
elements of**

Navy
* 510th Naval Inf Bde (Feodosiia)
* 810th Naval Inf Bde (Simferopol)

**Deployed to Crimea, elements of**

Ground Forces
* 18th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, 18th Mot Rifle Bde (Grozny)
* 291st Artillery Bde (Troitskaya)

(GRU command)
* 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade, 3rd Spetsnaz Bde (Tolyatti)
* 10th Spetsnaz Bde (Krasnodar)
* 16th Spetsnaz Bde (Tambov)
* 22nd Separate Guards Special Purpose Brigade, 22nd Spetsnaz Bde (Stepnoy)
* 25th Spetsnaz Rgt (Stavropol)
* 45th Guards Spetznaz Brigade, 45th Spetsnaz Rgt
(Kubinka, Moscow)

Airborne
* 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division, 7th Air Assault Div (Novorossiysk)
* 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade, 31st Air Assault Bde
(Ulyanovsk)

Navy
* 382nd Naval Inf Bn (Temryuk)
* 727th Naval Inf Bn (Astrakhan)

Special Operations Forces
* Special Operations Forces (Russia), SOF Command (Prokhladny)
- **units2**: **Armed forces**

Navy
* 36th Coastal Def Bde (at Perevalne)
** 1st Naval Inf Bn (Feodosiia)
** 56th Gds Bn (Sevastopol)
** 501st Naval Inf Bn (Kerch)
* 406th Artillery Bde (Simferopol)
* 37th Comms and Control Rgt (Sevastopol)

**Paramilitary**

Interior troops
* 9th Bde (Simferopol)
* 15th Bn (Yevpatoriia)
* 18th Spec Mot Militia Bn (Haspra)
* 42nd Operational Rgt (Sevastopol)
* 47th Bde (Feodosiia)

Border guards
* Special-Purpose Border Guard Bn (Yalta)