Russian occupation of Crimea

Not to be confused with the disputed Russian annexation of Crimea, which took place a few weeks after the occupation began.
Russian occupation of Crimea
Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War
Date27 February 2014 – present[1][note 1]
(10 years, 8 months, 3 weeks and 4 days)
TypeMilitary occupation
Perpetrator Russia
Target Ukraine

On 27 February 2014, unmarked Russian soldiers were deployed to the Crimean Peninsula in order to wrest control of it from Ukraine, starting the Russo-Ukrainian War.[1] This military occupation, which the Ukrainian government considers to have begun on 20 February,[4][9] laid the foundation for the Russian annexation of Crimea on 18 March 2014. Under Russia, the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea was replaced by the Republic of Crimea, though the legitimacy of the latter is scarcely recognized internationally.

The occupation began during Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, which ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Russian special forces without insignia took control of Crimea's government buildings, surrounded Ukrainian military bases, and blockaded the peninsula. A pro-Russian government was installed and a referendum on Crimea's status was held under occupation. According to the Russian-installed authorities, the result was in favour of joining Russia. It annexed Crimea on 18 March 2014, re-organizing it as a Russian republic and turning Sevastopol into a Russian federal city.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has used Crimea as a base from which to attack mainland Ukraine. The Ukrainian military has responded with attacks on Russian forces in Crimea. One of Russia's preconditions for ending the invasion has been the recognition of Russian sovereignty in Crimea, while one of Ukraine's goals is to liberate the territory, by military means if necessary.[10][11][12][13][14][15]

  1. ^ a b
    • "Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea) (decision)". European Court of Human Rights. January 2021. The Ukrainian Government maintains that the Russian Federation has from 27 February 2014 exercised effective control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol ... There was sufficient evidence that during the relevant period the respondent State [Russia] had exercised effective control over Crimea.
    • Sasse, Gwendolyn (2023). Russia's War Against Ukraine. Wiley & Sons. p. 2004. Russia's war against Ukraine began with the annexation of Crimea on 27 February 2014. On that day, Russian special forces without any uniform insignia appeared in Crimea, quickly taking control of strategic, military and political institutions.
    • Käihkö, Ilmari (2023). Slava Ukraini!: Strategy and the Spirit of Ukrainian Resistance 2014–2023. Helsinki University Press. p. 72. If asked when the war began, many Ukrainians believe it was when the unmarked Russian 'little green men' occupied Crimea on February 27, 2014, or February 20, the date given on the official Russian campaign medal 'For the Return of Crimea'.
    • DeBenedictis, Kent (2022). Russian 'Hybrid Warfare' and the Annexation of Crimea. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 140. During the night of 26-27 February, Russian special forces without insignia departed Sevastopol ... They arrived at the Crimean Rada and Council of Ministers buildings in Simferopol, disarmed the security and took control of the buildings ... Putin later signed a decree designating 27 February as Special Operations Forces Day in Russia.
    • Galeotti, Mark (2019). Armies of Russia's War in Ukraine. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 7. On February 20, 2014, two days before Yanukovych fled the country, the decision appears to have been made to take the peninsula. Vremya cha - zero hour - was set for February 27, 2014.
    • "Vladimir Putin announces official holiday to mark Crimea operation". Telegraph.co.uk. 27 February 2015. The Kremlin has announced the anniversary of the military operation to seize the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine last year will be made an official holiday in Russia ... From now on, February 27th will be known as Special Forces Day.
    • "Remembering the Day Russia Invaded Ukraine". Atlantic Council. February 2016. Two years ago on February 27 [2014], Russia invaded Ukraine.
  2. ^ a b McDermott, Roger N. (2016). "Brothers Disunited: Russia's use of military power in Ukraine". In Black, J.L.; Johns, Michael (eds.). The Return of the Cold War: Ukraine, the West and Russia. London. pp. 99–129. doi:10.4324/9781315684567-5. ISBN 978-1-138-92409-3. OCLC 909325250.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Ukraine v. Russia (re Crimea) (decision)". European Court of Human Rights. January 2021. The Ukrainian Government maintains that the Russian Federation has from 27 February 2014 exercised effective control over the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol ... There was sufficient evidence that during the relevant period the respondent State [Russia] had exercised effective control over Crimea.
  4. ^ a b "The President signed the Law, which defines February 20, 2014 as the date of the beginning of the temporary occupation of the territory of Ukraine". Archived from the original on 10 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  5. ^ "7683rd meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Thursday, 28 April 2016, 3 p.m. New York". Mr. Prystaiko (Ukraine): I have to remind the Council that the official medal that was produced by the Russian Federation for the so-called return of Crimea has the dates on it, starting with 20 February, which is the day before that agreement was brought to the attention of the Security Council by the representative of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the Russian Federation started – not just planned, but started – the annexation of Crimea the day before we reached the first agreement and while President Yanukovych was still in power.
  6. ^ "Russia's Orwellian 'diplomacy'". unian.info. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  7. ^ "Putin reveals secrets of Russia's Crimea takeover plot". BBC News. 9 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Vladimir Putin describes secret meeting when Russia decided to seize Crimea". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  9. ^ Crimea in the context of occupation: Q&A guide for the media (PDF). Kyiv: ZMINA Center for human rights. 2020. pp. 6–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Zelenskyi: War started in Donbas and Crimea, it will end there". Slovo i Dilo (in Ukrainian) (published 30 August 2022). 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  11. ^ Oliphant, Roland (5 October 2022). "Ukraine could recapture Crimea as fleeing Russians continue to flounder". The Telegraph. 0307-1235. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  12. ^ "Ukraine may enter occupied Crimea by late spring, says intelligence chief". Ukrainska Pravda (published 30 September 2022). 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Will Reclaim "Our Land" Crimea: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky". NDTV.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  14. ^ ""Our goal is to de-occupy all our territories" – Zelenskyi on the liberation of Crimea". Інформаційне агентство Українські Національні Новини (УНН). Всі онлайн новини дня в Україні за сьогодні – найсвіжіші, останні, головні. (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Give us heavy weapons – Zelensky made a categorical statement about the liberation of Crimea". 24 Канал (in Ukrainian). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.


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