The Russian annexation of Crimea took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity. On 22–23 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an all-night meeting with security services chiefs to discuss pullout of deposed President, Viktor Yanukovych, and at the end of that meeting Putin remarked that "we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia.".Yahoo News, retrieved 8 March 2015, article entitled: Putin Describes Secret Operation to Seize Crimea. Russia sent in soldiers on February 27, 2014. Crimea held a referendum. According to official Russian and Crimean sources 95% voted to reunite with Russia. The legitimacy of the referendum has been questioned by the international community on both legal and procedural grounds.
February 2014
February 19 Members of the Sevastopol City Council petitioned to President Viktor Yanukovych to take stringent measures and bring leaders of the opposition to justice.In Yalta was organized Euromaidan, in Sevastopol were demanding to imprison the opposition . Ukrainska Pravda. 19 February 2014 "Leaders of opposition should be held criminally liable for inciting armed confrontation," – stated the declaration. In Simferopol, activists of "Stop Maidan" were commemorating Crimean law enforcement agents who perished in conflict in Kyiv. In Yalta, over 50 activists attended an anti-government protest and demonstrated support for Euromaidan.
February 20 Speaker of the Supreme Council of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov announced that he does not exclude possibility of secession of Crimea from Ukraine if the situation in the country worsens.The speaker of Supreme Council of Crimea thinks that Crimea could secede from Ukraine . Ukrainska Pravda. 20 February 2014 The head of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Refat Chubarov criticized the announcement and said that Konstantinov who was in Moscow at the time, openly invited Russian security forces to intervene in Crimean internal politics.Crimean Tatars promise to keep Crimea within Ukraine . Ukrainska Pravda. 20 February 2014
The Russian military operation against Ukraine started on this date, according to the inscription on the Medal "For the Return of Crimea", awarded by the Russian Ministry of Defence.Will Cathcart, "Putin's Crimean Medal of Honor, Forged Before the War Even Began ", in The Daily Beast, 2014-04-25, retrieved 2016-09-07."В России учредили медаль За возвращение Крыма (Russia establishes a medal for the return of Crimea) ", in Korrespondent.net, 2015-03-25, retrieved 2016-09-07. A Ukrainian law signed September 2015 designated this as the "date of the start of the temporary occupation"."Про внесення змін до деяких законів України щодо визначення дати початку тимчасової окупації (On amendments to some laws of Ukraine to determine the date of the beginning of the temporary occupation) " (On passing amendments to certain laws of Ukraine regarding designation of the date of the start of the temporary occupation), Vidomosti Verkhovnoyi Rady (VVR), 2015, no. 46, p. 417, retrieved 2016-09-07.
February 23 In Simferopol, a pro-Euromaidan rally was held in support of the new Ukrainian authorities.Crimean Tatars, pro-Russia supporters approach Crimean parliament building, Interfax-Ukraine (in English), Kyiv, 20 February 2014 . Retrieved: 24 February 2014 The protesters also demanded the resignation of the Crimean parliament and waved Ukrainian, Tatar, and European Union flags. The Prime Minister of Crimea Anatolii Mohyliov declared that the region would carry out all laws passed by the Ukrainian parliament.
Meanwhile in Sevastopol, tens of thousands protested against the new authorities and voted to establish a parallel administration and civil self-defense squads. Some were created on 22 February in Simferopol, where about 5,000 people joined such squads. Protesters waved Russian flags and chanted "Putin is our president" and claimed they would refuse to pay further taxes to the state. Russian military convoys were also alleged to be seen in the area. In Kerch, pro-Russian protesters attempted to remove the Ukrainian flag from atop city hall and replace it with the flag of Russia. Over 200 attended waving flags of Russia, orange-and-black St. George and the Russian Unity party. Mayor Oleh Osadchy attempted to disperse the crowd and police eventually arrived to keep the protesters at bay. Osadchy said: "This is the territory of Ukraine, Crimea. Here's a flag of Crimea" but was accused of treason and a fight ensued over the flagpole.
February 24 More protesters rallied outside the Sevastopol administration offices. Pro-Russian demonstrators accompanied by neo-Cossacks'neo-Cossacks' needs definition demanded the selection of a Russian citizen as mayor (which was refused by the city council) and planted Russian flags at city hall; they also handed out leaflets calling for volunteers to a militia and warning that the "Blue-Brown Europlague is knocking."
On 24 February, a pro-Russian rally in Sevastopol chose Aleksei Chalyi, a Russian citizen, as mayor.Pro-Russian rally in Crimea decries Kiev 'bandits', The Washington Post (25 February 2014). This was controversial because Sevastopol has no mayor as the Chairman of the Sevastopol City State Administration (Governor of Sevastopol) who is appointed by the President of Ukraine by statute fulfils this role. A thousand protesters present chanted "a Russian mayor for a Russian city." Crowds gathered again outside Sevastopol's city hall again as rumours spread that security forces could arrest Aleksei Chalyi, but police chief Alexander Goncharov said that his officers would refuse to carry out "criminal orders" issued by the central government. Viktor Neganov, a Sevastopol-based adviser to the interior minister, condemned the events in the city as a coup. "Chalyi represents the interests of the Kremlin which likely gave its tacit approval." The Chairman of the Sevastopol City State Administration, appointed by the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Yatsuba, was booed and whistled on February 23, when he told a pro-Russian rally that Crimea was a part of Ukraine. He resigned the next day.
February 25 Several hundred pro-Russian protesters blocked the Crimean parliament and demanded a referendum on Crimea's independence. The rally was organized by the Crimean Front. Another large property of former president Yanukovych was discovered close to Sevastopol four times the size of that in the capital Kyiv. The Night Wolves were holding the administrative buildings of city of Simferopol and Kerch.
Also Russian armored personnel carriers were deployed to protect "Russian Interests" in the city of Sevastopol. The APCs with Russian marines were in Nakhimov Square and the courtyard of the Moscow House.
February 26 On February 26, thousands of protesters clashed in Simferopol. Near the Supreme Council of Crimea building between 4,000 and 5,000 Crimean Tatars and supporters of the Euromaidan-Crimea movement faced 600–700 supporters of pro-Russian organisations and the Russian Unity Party. Chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea Volodymyr Konstantinov said that the Crimean parliament will not discuss the issue of separation from Ukraine and that earlier reports that parliament would discuss the motion were provocations. During the clashes, one man died of a heart attack and a woman died from being trampled. Crimean Tatars created self-defense groups and called on activists to unite with Russian, Ukrainian and people of other nationalities to avoid provocations and to protect churches, mosques, synagogues and other important sites. By nightfall, the Crimean Tatars had left, while the pro-Russian rally had grown to 5,000 as protesters arrived from Sevastopol later in the day. The new Ukrainian establishment's acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov tasked Crimean law enforcement agencies not to provoke conflicts and to do whatever necessary to prevent clashes with pro-Russian forces and added that "I think, that way – through a dialogue – we shall achieve much more than with standoffs " The new head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valentyn Nalyvaichenko requested United Nations round-the-clock monitoring of the security situation on the peninsula.
Also on February 26, media claimed that Russian troops or (as they themselves claimed) local volunteers took control of the main route of access to Sevastopol. A military checkpoint, with military vehicles under a Russian flag, was set up on the main highway between the city and Simferopol. CNN described them as a "pro-Russian militia checkpoint".
February 27 On February 27, at 4:20 local time, sixty pro-Russian gunmen seized Crimea's parliament building and Council of Ministers building. They were said to be professionals and heavily armed. Thirty broke into the building initially, with a bus carrying another thirty and additional weapons arriving later. The gunmen were unmarked but raised Russian flags.
While the gunmen occupied Crimea's parliament building, the parliament held an emergency session.Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear]. Interfax-Ukraine, 27 February 2014.RPT-INSIGHT: How the separatists delivered Crimea to Moscow . Reuters, 13 March 2014. It voted to terminate the Crimean government, and replace Prime Minister Anatolii Mohyliov with Sergey Aksyonov.Crimea sets date for autonomy vote amid gunmen, anti-Kiev protests , (27 February 2014). Aksyonov belonged to the Russian Unity party, which received 4% of the vote in the last election. It also voted to hold a referendum on greater autonomy on 25 May. The gunmen had cut all of the building's communications and took MPs' phones as they entered. No independent journalists were allowed inside the building while the votes were taking place. Some MPs claimed they were being threatened and that votes were cast for them and other MPs, even though they were not in the chamber.
Interfax-Ukraine reported "it is impossible to find out whether all the 64 members of the 100-member legislature who were registered as present at when the two decisions were voted on or whether someone else used the plastic voting cards of some of them" because due to the armed occupation of parliament it was unclear how many MPs were present.Number of Crimean deputies present at referendum resolution vote unclear , Interfax-Ukraine (27 February 2014). The head of parliament's information and analysis department, Olha Sulnikova, had phoned from inside the parliamentary building to journalists and had told them 61 of the registered 64 deputies had voted for the referendum resolution and 55 for the resolution to dismiss the government. They also installed a new Prime Minister. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of Crimea is appointed by the Supreme Council of Crimea in consultation with the President of Ukraine.Crimean parliament to decide on appointment of autonomous republic's premier on Tuesday , Interfax Ukraine (7 November 2011). The new prime minister is the leader of Russian Unity , Ukrainska Pravda (27 February 2014).
The chairman of the Supreme Council of Crimea, Volodymyr Konstantinov, as well as de facto prime minister Aksyonov, refused to recognize the dismissal of Viktor Yanukovych from presidential office, and view him as legitimate.The speaker Supreme Council of Crimea still considers Yanukovych as the President . Ukrainska Pravda. 27 February 2014. Aksyonov added "we will follow his directions".Ukraine crisis: Ukraine searches for missing billions , The Daily Telegraph (27 February 2014).
The new Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, warned "We must immediately declare that anyone who is on the streets with guns – these people are prosecuted by law". Anyone with a weapon will be prosecuted – Yatseniuk , Ukrainska Pravda (27 February 2014)