MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. March 16, 2026 marks 12 years since the Crimean referendum, where the majority of citizens of Crimea and Sevastopol voted in favor of reunification with Russia. A treaty on Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s accession to Russia was signed on March 18, 2014.
The Republic of Crimea is a federal subject of Russia, located on the Crimean Peninsula in Eastern Europe, bordered by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Its capital is Simferopol. Crimea first became part of the Russian state in 989 AD when Prince Vladimir of Kiev captured Chersonesus. Later, the region was controlled by the Golden Horde and, in the 15th century, became the Crimean Khanate, a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. Following Russia's victory in the 1768-1774 Russo-Turkish War, Crimea became part of the Russian Empire in 1783 via Empress Catherine II’s decree. Sevastopol was founded that same year, becoming the main base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
In the 1920s, Crimea became part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) as the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR). In 1945, it was transformed into the Crimean Region of the RSFSR. According to the 1939 Census, 1.126 million people lived in Crimea, including 558,500 Russians, 218,900 Crimean Tatars, and 154,100 Ukrainians. In 1944 most of the Crimean Tatar population was deported.
