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Crimea
The Crimean Peninsula is land disputed by Russia and Ukraine, it is also known simply as
Crimea. It is a major land mass on the northern coast of the Black Sea that is almost completely
surrounded by water. The peninsula is located in southern Ukraine and western Russia. It is
surrounded by two seas: the Coastline on the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov to the
northeast.

Crimea has historically been at the governance of Russia since it was first settled in 1783. It
remained under Russian control until 1917 when it became its own republic although it still
remained a part of USSR. It wasnt until 1954 that it actually became part of the Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic. Since then control of the country has been debated on and off. Just
recently in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea sparking controversy around the world. Russia Claimed
they were in the right as the people mostly accepted them. The military intervention and
annexation by Russia took place in the aftermath of the Ukrainian Revolution. It was a part of the
wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine On 2223 February, Russian President
Vladimir Putin convened an all-night meeting with security services chiefs to discuss extrication
of deposed President, Viktor Yanukovych, and at the end of that meeting Putin had remarked that
"we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia." On 23 February pro-Russian
demonstrations were held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. On 27 February Russian troops took
over the Supreme Council of Crimea which led to the installation of the pro-Russian government
in Crimea, the declaration of Crimea's independence and the holding of a disputed,
unconstitutional referendum.

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The event was condemned by many world leaders as an illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory,
in violation of the a treaty on sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, signed by Russia. It
led to the other members temporarily suspending Russia from the group then introducing the first
round of sanctions against the country.

Russia opposes the "annexation" label, with Putin

defending the referendum saying it complied with international law. Ukraine disputes this, as it
does not recognize the independence of the Republic of Crimea or the accession itself as
legitimate. The United Nations General Assembly also rejected the vote and annexation,
adopting a non-binding resolution affirming the "territorial integrity of Ukraine within its
internationally recognized borders".