CRIMEA / LIFE AFTER ANNEXATION
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which is part of Ukraine. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity, well known as the Maidan Revolution in Kyiv. It marked the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The events in Kyiv that ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on 22 February 2014 sparked pro-Russian demonstrations in Crimea against the incoming Ukrainian government.On February 27, unmarked Russian special forces seized strategic locations throughout Crimea. Although Russia initially denied military involvement. Putin later admitted that troops had been sent to "support the Crimean self-defense forces". When Russian troops occupied the Crimean parliament, they dismissed the Crimean government and installed a pro-Russian government. They also announced a referendum on Crimea's status. On the day of the referendum, observers noted numerous irregularities in the voting process, including the presence of armed men at polling stations, and the result was an overwhelming 97% in favor of joining Russia.
The next day, March 17, 2014, Crimean authorities declared independence and applied to join Russia. Russia formally incorporated Crimea as the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on March 18, 2014. Following the annexation, Russia increased its military presence on the peninsula and warned against any outside intervention. Russian troops moved to occupy bases across the peninsula, including the Ukrainian naval headquarters in Sevastopol, as Ukraine began evacuating some 25,000 military personnel and their families from Crimea. On March 21, after the Russian parliament ratified the annexation treaty, Putin signed a law formally incorporating Crimea into Russia. Ukraine and many other countries have condemned the annexation and consider it a violation of international law.