Accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation

Crimean Crisis Annexation of Crimea
Part of the Ukrainian crisis, 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine and Russian military intervention in Ukraine
Crimea   Russia   Ukraine
Date 20 February 2014 – 19 March 2014 (24 days) Location Crimea Result Russian masked troops invade and occupy key Crimean locations, including airports and military bases, following Putin's orders. The head of Ukrainian Navy, Admiral Berezovsky, defects, followed later by half of the Ukrainian military stationed in the region Russian forces seize the Supreme Council (Crimean parliament). The Council of Ministers of Crimea is dissolved and a new pro-Russian Prime Minister installed. The new Supreme Council declares the Republic of Crimea to be an independent, self-governing entity, then holds a referendum on the status of Crimea on 16 March, which results in a majority vote to join the Russian Federation. Treaty signed between the Republic of Crimea and the Russian Federation at the Kremlin on 18 March to formally initiate Crimea's accession to the Russian Federation. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are evicted from their bases on 19 March by Crimean protesters and Russian troops. Ukraine subsequently announces the withdrawal of its forces from Crimea. Russia suspended from G8 International sanctions introduced on Russia
Belligerents
Russia	Ukraine
Strength
Protesters 20,000 (Sevastopol) 10,000 (Simferopol) Volunteer units 5,000 (Sevastopol) 1,700 (Simferopol) Russian military forces 20,000–30,000 troops Ukrainian Armed Forces defectors 12,000	Protesters 4,000–10,000 (Simferopol) Ukrainian military forces 5,000–22,000 troops 40,000 reservists, partly mobilised (outside Crimea)
Casualties and losses
1 Crimean SDF trooper killed	2 soldiers killed, 60–80 detained
3 protesters died (2 pro-Russian and 1 pro-Ukrainian) All deaths were not related directly to military activities

Protesters

Volunteer units

Russian military forces

Ukrainian Armed Forces defectors

Protesters

Ukrainian military forces

2 soldiers killed,

The Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation on 18 March 2014. Since then, the peninsula has been administered as two de facto Russian federal subjects—the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which, until 2016, were grouped in the Crimean Federal District. The annexation was preceded by a military intervention by Russia in Crimea, which took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and was part of wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine.

On 22–23 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an all-night meeting with security services chiefs to discuss extrication of the deposed Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, and at the end of that meeting Putin had remarked that "we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia." On 23 February 2014, pro-Russian demonstrations were held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. On 27 February masked Russian troops without insignia took over the Supreme Council (parliament) of Crimea, and captured strategic sites across Crimea, which led to the installation of the pro-Russian Aksyonov government in Crimea and the declaration of Crimea's independence.

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