Anthem:"Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина"(Russian) Nivy i gory tvoi volshebny, Rodina(transliteration) Your fields and mountains are magical, Motherland
Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine
Location of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (light yellow)
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea is an autonomousparliamentary republic within Ukraine[4] and was governed by theConstitution of Crimea in accordance with the laws of Ukraine. The capital and administrative seat of the republic's government is the city ofSimferopol, located in the centre of the peninsula. Crimea's area is 26,200 square kilometres (10,100 sq mi) and its population was 1,973,185 as of 2007. These figures do not include the area and population of the City ofSevastopol (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 predominantlyMuslim ethnic minority who in 2001 made up 12.10% of the population,[11] formed in Crimea in the lateMiddle Ages, after the Crimean Khanate had come into existence. The Crimean Tatars wereforcibly expelled toCentral Asia byJoseph Stalin's government. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Crimean Tatars began to return to the region.[12] According to the2001 Ukrainian population census 58% of the population of Crimea are ethnic Russians and 24% are ethnic Ukrainians.[11] The region has the highest proportion ofMuslims in Ukraine.[11]
Since Ukrainian independence, more than 250,000Crimean Tatars have returned and integrated into the region.[13]
Between 1992 and 1995, a struggle about the division of powers between the Crimean and Ukrainian authorities ensued. On 26 February,the Crimean parliament renamed the ASSR theRepublic of Crimea. Then on 5 May, it proclaimed self-government[14][15][16] and twice enactedconstitutions that the Ukrainian government and Parliament refused to accept on the grounds that it was inconsistent with Ukraine's constitution.[17] 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.[18]: 587
In October 1993, the Crimean parliament established the post ofpresident of Crimea. Tensions rose in 1994 with election of separatist leaderYury Meshkov as Crimean president. On 17 March 1995, theparliament of Ukraine abolished the Crimean constitution of May 1992, all the laws and decrees contradicting those of Kyiv, and also removedYuriy Meshkov, the then president of Crimea, along with the office itself.[19][20][21] After an interim constitution, the 1998Constitution 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 1997Russian–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.[22] In September 2008, theUkrainian foreign ministerVolodymyr Ohryzko accused Russia of giving outRussian 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.[23]
Crimea voted strongly for the pro-Russian Ukrainian presidentViktor Yanukovych and hisParty of Regions in presidential and parliamentary elections,[28] and his ousting on 22 February 2014 during the2014 Ukrainian revolution was followed by a push by pro-Russian protesters for Crimea to secede from Ukraine and seek assistance from Russia.[29]
On 28 February 2014,Russian forces occupied airports and other strategic locations in Crimea[30] 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".[citation needed] Gunmen, either armed militants or Russian special forces, occupied the Crimean parliament and, under armed guard with doors locked, members of parliament electedSergey Aksyonov as the new Crimean prime minister.[31] 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[32][33] and did not recognize the Aksyonov administration as legal.[34][35] Ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych sent a letter to Putin asking him to use military force in Ukraine to restore law and order.[citation needed] On 1 March, the Russian parliament granted presidentVladimir Putin the authority to use such force.[36] 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.[37][38]
On 6 March, the Crimean parliament asked the Russian government for the region to become a subject of theRussian Federation with a Crimea-widereferendum 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."[39] International monitors arrived in Ukraine to assess the situation but were halted by armed militants at the Crimean border.[40][41]
The day before the referendum, Ukraine's national parliament voted to dissolve theSupreme Council of Crimea as its pro-Moscow leaders were finalising preparations for the vote.[42]
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 1992Constitution 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.[43][44] However, support for the second question would have restored the republic's autonomous status within Ukraine.[20][45] The official turnout for the referendum was 83%, and the overwhelming majority of those who voted (95.5%)[46] supported the option of rejoining Russia. However, a BBC reporter claimed that a huge number of Tatars and Ukrainians had abstained from the vote.[47]
Following the referendum, the members of the Supreme Council voted to rename themselves theState Council of the Republic of Crimea and also formally appealed to Russia to accept Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.[48] This was granted and on 18 March 2014 the self-proclaimedRepublic of Crimea signed atreaty of accession to the Russian Federation[49] though the accession was granted separately for each of the former regions that composed it: one accession for theRepublic of Crimea, and another for Sevastopol as afederal city.[50] 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 andUkrainian navy ships were captured by Russian troops.[51][52][c]
Ukraine, meanwhile, continues to claim Crimea as its territory and in 2015 theUkrainian parliament designated 20 February 2014 as the (official) date of the start of "the temporary occupation of Crimea."[1] On 27 March 2014 100United Nationsmember states voted forUnited Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 affirming theGeneral Assembly'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.[10] Since then six countries (Cuba,Nicaragua,Venezuela,Syria,Afghanistan, andNorth Korea) have publicly recognized Russia's annexation of Crimea whileothers have stated support for the 16 March 2014 Crimean referendum.[55]
In terms of ethnicities, the population is diverse. Together with theSevastopol, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is the only subdivsion in Ukraine, in which ethnicRussians make up the largest group, accounting for a bit more than half of the population. The Russian population is mainly concentrated in the east and center of the peninsula, as well as on theCrimean Riviera and in urban areas. EthnicUkrainians make up the second-largest ethnic group and are the dominant ethnic group in the north of the region, but also constitute majorities in many rural areas in other parts of peninsula, especially in the west,south, as well as in the center. They are the largest group in thePerekopsk andPervomaiske districts, while the respective Ukrainian and Russian populations in theRozdolne district are of equal size.Crimean Tatars are the third-largest group and live mainly in the central and eastern parts of the peninsula, as well as in the northern districts. Other minorities areBelarusians,Armenians andTatars. The exact ethnic composition was as follows:[56][57]
Linguistically, the region is mostlyRussian-speaking, although rural areas in the north and west are oftenUkrainophone. Russian is the most common native language among most people without an ethnic Russian background. For instance, 59.5% of the ethnicUkrainian population in Crimea speaks Russian as their first language. The only exception areCrimean Tatars, of whom 93% speak theCrimean Tatar language natively, while 5,9% speak Russian. The exact linguistic composition was as follows:[58][59]
An administrative reform, enacted by theVerkhovna 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. Originally the reform was delayed until return of the peninsula under Ukrainian control,[62][63][64] but it came into effect on 7 September 2023.[65] Since the reform, the following are the subdivisions of the republic:
Bakhchysarai Raion (Bağçasaray rayonı) — 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 (Qarasuvbazar rayonı) — composed of Bilohirsk and Nyzhniohirsk raions,
Dzhankoi Raion (Canköy rayonı) — composed of Dzhankoi Raion and former Dzhankoi municipality,
Yevpatoria Raion (Kezlev rayonı) — composed of Saky and Chornomorske raions and former Yevpatoria and Saky municipalities,
Kerch Raion (Keriç rayonı) — composed of Lenine Raion and former Kerch municipality,
Kurman Raion (Qurman rayonı) — composed of Krasnohvardiysky and Pervomaisk raions,
Perekop Raion (OrQapı rayonı) — composed of Krasnoperekopsk and Rozdolne raions, former Armiansk and Krasnoperekopsk municipalities,
Simferopol Raion (Aqmescit rayonı) — composed of Simferopol Raion and former Simferopol municipality,
Feodosia Raion (Kefe rayonı) — composed of Kirovske and Sovietskyi raions, former Feodosia and Sudak municipalities,
Yalta Raion (Yalta rayonı) — composed of former Yalta and Alushta municipalities.
This Crimea's division has entered into force in 2023.[65]
Former divisions
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea had 25 administrative areas: 14raions (districts) and 11mis'kradas andmistos (city municipalities), officially known asterritories governed by city councils.[66]
^(Also) on 24 March 2014, theUkrainian Ministry of Defense stated that approximately 50% of the Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea had defected to the Russian military.[53][54]
^Kołodziejczyk, Dariusz (2011).The Crimean Khanate and Poland-Lithuania. International Diplomacy on the European Periphery (15th–18th Century). A Study of Peace Treaties Followed by Annotated Documents. Leiden and Boston: Brill. p. 17.ISBN978-90-04-19190-7.
^Shuster, Simon (10 March 2014)."Putin's Man in Crimea Is Ukraine's Worst Nightmare".Time. Retrieved8 March 2015.Before dawn on Feb. 27, at least two dozen heavily armed men stormed the Crimean parliament building and the nearby headquarters of the regional government, bringing with them a cache of assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. A few hours later, Aksyonov walked into the parliament and, after a brief round of talks with the gunmen, began to gather a quorum of the chamber's lawmakers.
^Higgons, Andrew, "Grab for Power in Crimea Raises Secession Threat",The New York Times, 28 February 2014, page A1; reporting was contributed by David M. Herszenhorn and Andrew E. Kramer from Kiev, Ukraine; Andrew Roth from Moscow; Alan Cowell from London; and Michael R. Gordon from Washington; with a graphic presentation of linguistic divisions of Ukraine and Crimea
