Republic of Crimea - subject Russian Federation, part of the Crimean Federal District, part of the Crimean Federal District.

Formed in March 2014 on the basis of an agreement on the admission into Russia of the independent Republic of Crimea, proclaimed within the administrative borders of the former Ukrainian Autonomous Republic Crimea and Sevastopol.

The capital is the city of Simferopol.

On March 11, 2014, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council unilaterally adopted a declaration of independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The declaration proclaimed that if, as a result of the upcoming referendum, a decision was made on Crimea's entry into Russia, Crimea would be declared an independent and sovereign republic and it was in this status that it would turn to the Russian Federation with a proposal to join the Russian Federation as its new subject

On March 16, 2014, a Crimean referendum was held, during which the overwhelming majority of voters were in favor of joining Russia.

On March 18, 2014, an agreement was signed on the entry of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol into the Russian Federation as subjects of the Russian Federation. The annexation of Crimea to Russia is not recognized by Ukraine, the United States and the countries of the European Union.

On March 21, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a federal constitutional law on the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities in the country - the Republic of Crimea and the city federal significance Sevastopol.

On April 2, 2014, Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the Republic of Crimea was included in the Southern Military District.

The government of the republic is the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Crimea is appointed by the State Council of the Republic of Crimea. The Council of Ministers is formed by the State Council of the Republic of Crimea for the term of its powers.

The Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was adopted at the second session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on October 21, 1998 and came into force on January 11, 1999. After the entry of the Republic of Crimea into Russia, the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea of ​​1998 continues to be in force on its territory until the adoption of a new edition of the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea.

The northern border of the Republic of Crimea coincides with the former administrative border of the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea. From the west, south and northeast, the peninsula is washed by the Black and Azov Seas; in the east, the Republic of Crimea has a maritime administrative border with the Krasnodar Territory. In the southwest of the peninsula there is an administrative border with the federal city of Sevastopol.

Settlements - 1020, including: urban - 72, rural - 948.

As of January 1, 2013, the territory of the Republic of Crimea is divided into the following administrative-territorial entities:

According to Ukrstat, as of January 1, 2014, the permanent population of the republic was 1958.5 thousand people (including 1218.7 thousand citizens, or 62.23%), the actual population - 1967.2 thousand people (in including 1233.5 thousand city residents, or 62.70%). According to Crimean Statistics, as of February 1, 2014, the permanent population of the republic was 1,958,046 people (including 1,218,313 townspeople, or 62.22%), the actual population was 1,966,801 people (including 1,233,119 townspeople , or 62.70%).

Annexation of Crimea to Russia(2014) - inclusion into the Russian Federation of most of the territory of the Crimean Peninsula, which after the collapse of the USSR was part of independent Ukraine and was controlled by it until 2014, with the formation of two new subjects of the Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

This event was immediately preceded by months of anti-presidential and anti-government actions in Ukraine (“Euromaidan”), which ended in February 2014 with a forceful change of power. The very first actions of the opposition that came to power in Kyiv caused protests in Crimea by the local, mostly Russian-speaking, population, which was facilitated by the intensification of the actions of the Russians public organizations(“Russian Community of Crimea” and the “Russian Unity” party), who began mobilizing their supporters in mid-January 2014, due to the escalation of the confrontation in Kyiv and the unfolding campaign of seizure of administrative buildings in a number of regions of Ukraine.

On February 23-24, under pressure from pro-Russian activists, a change in the executive authorities of Sevastopol was carried out, and on February 27, after early in the morning the buildings of the authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea were seized and blocked by several groups of armed people, deputies of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea gathered in the parliament building , dismissed the government of Anatoly Mogilev and decided to hold a pan-Crimean referendum on May 25 on expanding the autonomy of the peninsula within Ukraine. The new government of Crimea was headed by the leader of the Russian Unity party, Sergei Aksenov, who declared non-recognition of the new leadership of Ukraine and appealed to the Russian leadership for “assistance in ensuring peace and tranquility in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.”

On March 1, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved President Vladimir Putin’s request for permission to use Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine. Detachments of volunteers and Russian military personnel blocked all objects and military units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the territory of the peninsula, the command of which refused to submit to the government of Crimea.

On March 6, the referendum question was changed. Bypassing the Ukrainian Constitution, the issue of annexing Crimea to Russia was put to a vote. On March 11, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted the Declaration of Independence. On March 16, a referendum was held on the status of Crimea, based on the results of which the independent Republic of Crimea was unilaterally proclaimed, which signed an agreement with Russia on joining the Russian Federation.

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people took a special position, claiming to be the representative body of the Crimean Tatars. On February 21-23, he organized mass rallies in support of the new Ukrainian government, on February 26, he tried to organize the seizure of the Crimean parliament building and prevent the work of deputies, and on March 15, he announced the non-recognition of the referendum “held with the aim of changing the territorial affiliation of Crimea” as legitimate and in accordance with international law and the Constitution of Ukraine. The Mejlis stated that it “categorically rejects any attempts to determine the future of Crimea without the free will of the Crimean Tatar people - the indigenous people of Crimea” and that only the Crimean Tatars have the right to decide in which state the Crimean Tatar people will live. According to the Mejlis, “the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and their exercise of the right to self-determination in their historical homeland must be carried out as part of a sovereign and independent Ukrainian state.”

The majority of UN member states do not recognize the Crimean referendum. The Western community (G7, NATO and EU member states) regarded Russia’s actions as aggression, annexation of part of Ukrainian territory, violation of its territorial integrity. The West's rejection of Russian actions in Crimea led to the refusal of Western leaders to cooperate with Russia in the G8 format and became one of the reasons for the introduction of Western sanctions against Russia. Russia, in turn, views the annexation of Crimea as the realization of the right to self-determination of the population of Crimea, which “revolted” against the forceful change of power in the country. Ukraine itself does not recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia; On April 15, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a law declaring the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol territories occupied as a result of “armed aggression of the Russian Federation.”

On March 27, 2014, the UN General Assembly by a majority vote adopted a resolution on its commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, non-recognition of the Crimean referendum and changes in the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol based on it.

The problem of Crimea in Russian-Ukrainian relations (1992-2014)

Background

On October 18, 1921, the multinational Crimean ASSR was formed as part of the RSFSR. In 1939 the population Crimean ASSR amounted to 1 million 126 thousand people (49.6% Russians, 19.4% Crimean Tatars, 13.7% Ukrainians, 5.8% Jews, 4.5% Germans).

After the deportation of the Crimean Tatars (1944-1946), the Crimean ASSR was abolished on June 25, 1946 and transformed into the Crimean region.

In April 1954, the Crimean region was transferred to the Ukrainian SSR with the following wording: “Taking into account the commonality of the economy, territorial proximity and close economic and cultural ties between the Crimean region and the Ukrainian SSR.” According to some Russian researchers and politicians, Sevastopol in 1954 was not formally transferred to the Ukrainian SSR as part of the Crimean region, since since 1948 it had been a city of republican subordination to the RSFSR. This position was also adhered to by the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation when, on July 9, 1993, it adopted Resolution No. 5359-1 “On the status of the city of Sevastopol” (see Legal status of Sevastopol). At the same time, however, in Article 77 of the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR of 1978, Sevastopol, like Kyiv, was named a city of republican subordination, and there was no mention of Sevastopol in the Constitution of the RSFSR of 1978.

In 1989, the deportation of the Crimean Tatars was recognized by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR as illegal and criminal. Crimean Tatars were allowed to settle in Crimea. A massive return to the historical homeland of the Crimean Tatar people began, significantly aggravating social and ethnic contradictions on the peninsula.

In November 1990, the question of restoring the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was raised. On January 20, 1991, a referendum was held in the Crimean region on the restoration of Crimean autonomy. 81.37% of Crimeans included in the voting lists accepted the referendum. 93.26% of citizens who took part in the referendum supported the re-establishment of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

On February 12, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Law “On the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.” Article 1 stated:

On June 19 of the same year, mention of the restored autonomous republic was included in the constitution of the Ukrainian SSR.

At the turn of the 1980s - 1990s, in Crimea, as in many other regions of the USSR, the activities of independent public organizations intensified, a number of which initially declared their goal to protect the national-cultural, historical and linguistic identity of the Russian population of the peninsula. In 1989, the organization “Democratic Taurida” began to operate in Crimea, putting forward, in particular, slogans for the creation of the Crimean Republic within the USSR and consolidation of the status of the Russian language as the state language on its territory. Later, with the participation of a number of prominent figures from the “Democratic Taurida”, a new structure was created - the “Republican Movement of Crimea” (RDC).

After the collapse of the USSR

1990s

On December 1, 1991, in an all-Ukrainian referendum, 54% of residents of Crimea and 57% of residents of Sevastopol supported the independence of Ukraine.

On February 26, 1992, by decision of the Supreme Council of Autonomy, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was renamed the Republic of Crimea, and on May 6 of the same year, the Crimean Constitution was adopted, which confirmed this name and also established the entry of Crimea into Ukraine on a contractual basis, but the Supreme Council of Ukraine did not approved the name “Republic of Crimea”.

In 1992-1994, pro-Russian political forces made attempts to separate Crimea from Ukraine - for example, on May 5, 1992, the Supreme Council of Crimea adopted a resolution on holding a pan-Crimean referendum on the issue of independence and state independence of the Republic of Crimea, which was subsequently canceled thanks to the intervention of the Verkhovna Rada Ukraine.

On May 21, 1992, the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation adopted its own resolution, which recognized the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR of February 5, 1954 “On the transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR” as “not legally valid from the moment of adoption” due to the fact that it was adopted “in violation of the Constitution (Basic Law) of the RSFSR and legislative procedure.” At the same time, the Russian parliament clarified that in connection with the constitution of the subsequent legislation of the RSFSR of the fact of the transfer of the Crimean region and the conclusion between Ukraine and Russia of the agreement of November 19, 1990, in which the parties renounced territorial claims, as well as in connection with the consolidation of this principle in agreements and agreements between the CIS states, he considers it necessary to resolve the issue of Crimea through interstate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine with the participation of Crimea and on the basis of the will of its population.

On July 9, 1993, the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation, chaired by Ruslan Khasbulatov, adopted a resolution “On the status of the city of Sevastopol,” which confirmed “the Russian federal status of the city of Sevastopol within the administrative-territorial boundaries of the city district as of December 1991.” Russian President Boris Yeltsin reacted negatively to the actions of the Supreme Council, saying: “I am ashamed of the parliament’s decision... Don’t start a war with Ukraine.” The statement by Russian parliamentarians came against the backdrop of an acute political crisis in Russia in 1992-1993, which resulted in a violent confrontation between the parliament and the president. In connection with the resolution of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation on the status of Sevastopol, Ukraine filed a complaint with the UN Security Council. The UN Security Council, including the representative of Russia, in its statement of July 20, 1993 (S/26118), reaffirmed its commitment to the principles of sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders. In 1994, the OSCE mission began working in Ukraine, the main task of which was to help stabilize the situation on the Crimean Peninsula. In 1999, in connection with the fulfillment of its mandate, the OSCE mission in Ukraine completed its work.

In 1993, the Republican Movement of Crimea (RDK) was transformed into political organization- Republican Party of Crimea (RPK). Its leaders put forward a number of slogans of a very radical nature - a course towards rapprochement between the Republic of Crimea and Russia, up to complete annexation, the conclusion of a military-political alliance with Russia, and the provision of Russian citizenship to the residents of Crimea.

At the beginning of 1994, the highest success of the Crimean pro-Russian movement at that time was recorded: in January, the famous public figure Yuri Meshkov was elected president of the Republic of Crimea, and the majority in the Supreme Council of the autonomy was won by the “Russia” bloc created with the support of the Republican Party of Crimea. However, after a convincing victory in the elections, the new leadership of Crimea was faced with the lack of a financial, economic, and managerial basis to ensure real autonomy, as well as the lack of support from Russia itself, whose leadership at that time was trying to get closer to the West and therefore considered the activity of pro-Russian figures abroad as an unpleasant obstacle that could revive suspicions in the West regarding Russia’s “unlived imperial ambitions.”

In September 1994, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine renamed the Crimean ASSR (Republic of Crimea) into the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and in March 1995, it unilaterally abolished the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Crimea and, accordingly, abolished the post of president of the republic. Deprived of his position, Yuri Meshkov left for Russia (and was able to return only in March 2014). A number of Crimean parties were dissolved (in particular, parties that were part of the Russia bloc).

In 1998, pro-Russian political forces in Crimea, weakened by the political crisis, were defeated in the elections to the Supreme Council of Crimea. On October 21, 1998, the new Crimean parliament adopted a new constitution, brought into line with the constitution of Ukraine.

For a certain time, in the activities of pro-Russian organizations, the political component itself faded into the background, while issues of the Russian language, religion, culture, historical identity, and maintaining ties with the historical Motherland began to play a more important role. From 1995-1996, the “Russian Community of Crimea” came to the fore, created back in October 1993 by decision of the leaders of the RDK/RPK as a public organization focused in its activities on protecting the interests and rights of the Russians of Crimea and all Crimeans who consider the Russian language and Russian culture by relatives.

Black Sea Fleet

After the breakup Soviet Union A special problem in Ukrainian-Russian relations was the fate of the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR Navy, which was divided between the countries in 1994. During the division of the Soviet fleet in the first half of the 1990s, relations between military personnel of the Ukrainian and Russian fleets, as sources note, remained at times very tense, sometimes reaching the point of physical confrontation between them. The situation on the peninsula in 1993-1994 was on the brink of an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Between 1994 and 1997 The presidents of Russia and Ukraine signed a number of bilateral agreements designed to resolve the situation with the Black Sea Fleet. As a result of negotiations on the division of the fleet, the Ukrainian side received 30 warships and boats, one submarine, 6 special-purpose ships, as well as 28 support vessels (67 units in total), 90 combat aircraft. Russia received 338 ships and vessels, as well as 106 airplanes and helicopters.

According to the Agreement on the status and conditions of the presence of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine, the following were transferred to Russia on a 20-year lease: the main bay of the city - Sevastopol with berths for parking more than 30 warships, Karantinnaya Bay with a brigade of missile boats of the Black Sea Fleet and a diving range , Cossack Bay, where the marine brigade was stationed, South Bay. Ships of the Russian and Ukrainian fleets were jointly based in Streletskaya Bay. Russia also leased the main arsenal of ammunition, a missile base for the Black Sea Fleet, an landing range and two airfields: Gvardeiskoye near Simferopol and Sevastopol (Kacha). Ukraine agreed to the use by the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, outside of Sevastopol, of Russian naval facilities: the 31st test center in Feodosia, HF communication points in Yalta and Sudak, and the Crimean military sanatorium. According to the agreements, Russia could have in Ukraine no more than 25 thousand personnel, 24 artillery systems with a caliber of more than 100 mm, 132 armored vehicles, 22 ground-based naval combat aircraft, and the number Russian ships and the number of ships should not exceed 388 units. The leased airfields in Gvardeyskoye and Sevastopol (Kach) could accommodate 161 aircraft. The Russian side pledged not to have nuclear weapons as part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine.

2000s

Revival political activity pro-Russian organizations began to emerge in 2002, when the organization “Russian Community of Crimea” and the party “Russian Bloc”, created with the participation of the RDK/RPK, were able to get their deputies into the Supreme Council of Crimea, and in 2006 they expanded their representation following the results of the next elections. In 2003, the “Russian Community of Crimea” was headed by Sergei Tsekov.

The activation of pro-Russian public organizations was facilitated by the “Orange Revolution” (2004), many of whose slogans were perceived with sharp hostility by a significant part of the population of the peninsula. In 2004-2005, the “Russian Community of Crimea” acted as one of the basic socio-political forces in Crimea that offered political resistance to the “Orange Revolution”. Declaring the illegitimacy of the re-vote in the second round of the presidential election, the “Russian Community of Crimea” organized thousands of rallies in Simferopol against the political and legal lawlessness in the country and the illegal rise to power of Viktor Yushchenko. In 2006, the “Russian Community of Crimea” took part in the formation of the electoral bloc “For Yanukovych!” in local elections in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Thanks to this, it was possible to ensure solid representation of Community activists in the Crimean parliament and in local councils of the autonomy. Chairman of the “Russian Community of Crimea” Sergei Tsekov was elected first deputy chairman of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

In December 2009, the Russian community of Crimea, together with the Civil Activists of Crimea, initiated the creation of the All-Crimean movement “Russian Unity”. This initiative was supported by many other Russian public organizations. Sergei Tsekov and Sergei Aksyonov were elected co-chairs of the Russian Unity movement.

In 2010, Russian organizations that participated in the creation of the All-Crimean movement “Russian Unity” came to the conclusion that it was necessary to form a Russian party in Ukraine. This party, which, like the movement of the same name, was called “Russian Unity”, was created and officially registered in September 2010. The leader of the Russian Unity party was Sergei Aksyonov, by that time the first deputy chairman of the Russian Community of Crimea.

The possibility of a new conflict in Crimea in connection with a new redivision of the world was considered high already in the early 2000s.

In the fall of 2003, a conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine over the island of Tuzla in the Kerch Strait, caused by the lack of progress in resolving the status of the Kerch Strait and the Sea of ​​Azov. After the collapse of the USSR, the navigable part of the strait (between the Tuzla Spit and the Crimean Peninsula) ended up entirely in the territorial waters of Ukraine. The Russian part of the Kerch Strait was shallow and suitable only for small fishing boats. On September 29, 2003, the authorities of the Krasnodar region, without warning the Ukrainian side, began construction of a dam from the Taman Peninsula towards the border island of Tuzla Spit, citing the need to prevent erosion of the coastline of the Taman Peninsula and spit, restore the ecological balance in the region, preserve and restore fish stocks and other biological resources. Kyiv regarded the construction as “an encroachment on the territorial integrity of the country.” In response, the Ukrainian side transferred several hundred border guards to the island and sent artillery boats to the Kerch Strait. Soon, both sides began to increase their military presence in the region. On October 23, the construction of the dam was stopped 102 m from the state border line (unilaterally declared by Ukraine) after the meeting of Presidents Putin and Kuchma, who signed the “Agreement on Cooperation in the Use of the Sea of ​​Azov and the Kerch Strait” in December 2003, but the status of Tuzla as and the status of the Kerch Strait was never finally settled by the parties.

Yushchenko presidency

After Viktor Yushchenko came to power in Ukraine in 2005, Russian-Ukrainian relations deteriorated sharply. Moscow negatively assessed both the Orange Revolution itself and the policy of the new Ukrainian president towards language issue, interpretations of the history of the Holodomor and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, his course towards NATO membership. Yushchenko's policy did not find support among the majority of residents of the Crimean peninsula.

In 2006, Viktor Yushchenko stated that Ukraine would adhere to the provisions of the agreement on the status and conditions of the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on Ukrainian territory only until 2017. Yushchenko said that the Constitution of Ukraine does not provide for the possibility of military bases of foreign states being located on Ukrainian territory, and therefore the Ukrainian president instructed to begin preparations for the withdrawal Russian fleet after 2017.

One more controversial issue Between the Russian Federation and Ukraine there was a conflict over the Crimean lighthouses, which began at the end of 2005. Then Ukraine announced the need to conduct an inventory of all facilities used by the Russian fleet. However, any attempts to verify the use of facilities were suppressed by the Russian side. Kyiv sought the transfer of navigation and hydrographic objects under its jurisdiction. The Ukrainian side argued that the 1997 Treaty defined a list of objects and areas that were transferred to the Black Sea Fleet for temporary use for 20 years; other objects, including lighthouses, were to be returned to Ukraine. However, in 1997, the parties also agreed to develop an additional agreement on navigational and hydrographic support facilities, which was not done. The decisions of the Ukrainian courts ordered the seizure of navigational and hydrographic objects to the Russian Black Sea Fleet and transfer them to the Ukrainian side. The Russian Navy High Command insisted that the dispute regarding the ownership of the lighthouses between the two countries would be resolved through negotiations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Russia. After attempts by Ukrainian representatives of the public organization “Student Brotherhood” to penetrate the territory of navigation and hydrographic structures controlled by the Russian fleet, the Russian side is strengthening military security of these facilities. In response, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on Russia not to violate the provisions of the agreement on the status and conditions of the presence of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine.

In 2006, the Crimean peninsula was swept by a wave of protests against Ukraine's accession to NATO. In the spring, protests by many thousands took place against NATO exercises in Feodosia, during which protesters blocked the unloading of an American cargo ship at the commercial port, which was carrying cargo for the planned Sea Breeze 2006 exercises. Protests were also held at the airport of Simferopol, where the Alliance plane landed, and Alushta , where 140 American specialists were blocked in the Druzhba sanatorium. On June 6, 2006, the Supreme Council of Crimea decided to declare the peninsula a “territory without NATO.” 61 out of 78 deputies of the local parliament voted for this statement. The presidential representative in Crimea, Gennady Moskal, called the decision contrary to the Constitution. Against the backdrop of the conflict, one of the leaders of the Party of Regions at that time, Taras Chernovol, said: “The Verkhovna Rada did not give consent to the arrival of the American military in Ukraine. Arrival of NATO troops in Feodosia, according to the norms international law, can be qualified either as aggression, or, in case of consent from the Ukrainian government, military and border guards, as high treason.” On June 11-12, 2006, the US military left Crimea without taking part in the exercises on the peninsula.

In August 2008, after the outbreak of the armed conflict in South Ossetia, Ukraine became the only CIS country that openly sided with Georgia and demanded that Russia immediately withdraw troops from its territory. On August 10, Ukraine warned the Russian side against the participation of its Black Sea Fleet ships in the conflict, otherwise threatening to prevent the ships from returning to Crimea. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said that because of the Black Sea Fleet ships, Ukraine is being drawn into a military conflict without wanting it. On August 13, the President of Ukraine established a new procedure for crossing the Ukrainian border by ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, according to which Black Sea Fleet forces could cross the border of the republic only after notifying the headquarters of the Ukrainian Navy of their actions at least 72 hours in advance. The Russian Foreign Ministry assessed Yushchenko's decree on the Black Sea Fleet as a new anti-Russian step. On September 5, Yushchenko called the Russian Black Sea Fleet a threat to the security of Ukraine. In Crimea, however, the majority of the population supported Russia's position in the conflict. On September 17, the leader of the “Russian Community of Crimea” Sergei Tsekov initiated an appeal from the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with an appeal to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The appeal was supported by representatives of the Crimean republican branches of the Party of Regions, the Russian Bloc Party, Communist Party Ukraine, Progressive socialist party Ukraine, a number of city councils, republican national-cultural societies. “We, Crimeans, stand in solidarity with the fraternal Ossetian people and we wish him unity, freedom, success in restoring the destroyed economy caused by aggression,” said the appeal sent in June 2009 by the Russian community of Crimea to the participants of the VII World Congress of the Ossetian People.

Against this background, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vladimir Ogryzko even accused the Russian authorities of “secretly distributing Russian passports residents of Crimea." Russia rejected these accusations.

The intensification of the policy of the Yushchenko administration, which followed the events of 2008, was perceived by organizations of the Russian population of Crimea as a set of hostile measures, which in many cases caused a sharp reaction. Thus, the Charter of Strategic Partnership signed in December 2008 by the heads of the foreign ministries of Ukraine and the United States, which envisaged, in particular, the opening of a US diplomatic mission in Simferopol with an unclear status and functions, received a clearly negative assessment. Meeting with the American Ambassador to Ukraine W. Taylor in January 2009, the leader of the Russian Community, Sergei Tsekov, said that the opening of a US “presence post” in Crimea would lead to constant conflicts and tension. A significant part of the population of Crimea, Tsekov emphasized, does not trust the United States because of its policy towards Russia and its course towards unconditional support for Yushchenko. “60 percent of Russians live in Crimea by nationality, 80 percent by language - you must take these realities into account! – the leader of the “Russian Community” told the ambassador. – Russia is our Motherland, and we will not betray it, and you should know this. This is a reality that must be reckoned with."

After the 2008 war in Georgia, a number of experts suggested that the next conflict in Europe would be the confrontation in Crimea between Russia and Ukraine.

The Russian-speaking majority of the population and the policies of the Ukrainian elites allowed some researchers to suggest already in 2010 that the political split in Ukraine could lead to a referendum on joining Russia in Crimea.

Presidency of Yanukovych

With the election of Viktor Yanukovych to the post of President of Ukraine, Russian-Ukrainian relations have changed significantly. By the time he took office as head of state, Yanukovych looked like a pro-Russian politician who opposed Ukraine’s rapprochement with NATO, for Russian as the second state language in the country, and held different views on the Holodomor and the OUN-UPA than his predecessor Yushchenko.

On April 21, 2010, the presidents of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych signed agreements in Kharkov, according to which Ukraine received a discount on gas in the amount of $100 for every thousand cubic meters, and the Russian Black Sea Fleet remained in Crimea until 2042. The agreement was received extremely ambiguously in Ukrainian society; the opposition accused Yanukovych of betrayal national interests, right up to the surrender of sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula to Russia, and the ratification of agreements in the Verkhovna Rada was accompanied by large-scale clashes between parliament members.

At the same time, several key issues regarding the presence of the fleet on Ukrainian territory remained unresolved. First of all, there remained the problem of modernizing the weapons and equipment of the units stationed in Crimea. For Moscow, this was one of the key issues, since the physical and moral obsolescence of equipment threatened the loss of combat capability of the fleet in the near future. The Ukrainian authorities were ready to agree with the appearance of modern ships of the Russian Navy in Crimea, but insisted that the agreement on updating military equipment should include a point of mandatory agreement with Ukraine on the replacement of ships and aircraft, which was categorically unacceptable for the Russian leadership. Another controversial issue was the intention of the Ukrainian side to collect customs duties on all goods imported for the needs of the Russian fleet. Moscow absolutely disagreed with this; moreover, the Russian side tried to achieve the abolition of all existing taxes that were in force for cargo imported to ensure the functionality of the Russian fleet. The problem of lighthouses used by the Russian Black Sea Fleet also remains unresolved. In 2011, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense demanded that the Russian side return the lighthouses. At the same time, the representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleg Voloshin said: “We do not want to turn the issue of lighthouses into conflict situation", adding that the search for a compromise will continue at a meeting of the Ukrainian-Russian working group.

On July 2, 2011, a massive clash between activists of Russian Cossack organizations and Ukrainian police took place in Feodosia. The conflict flared up after the court banned the Cossacks from erecting a worship cross at the entrance to the city, as it displeased the Crimean Tatar Mejlis. The Cossacks, ignoring the court's decision, arbitrarily erected a cross, which was soon dismantled by local authorities. When trying to restore the cross, on the site of the dismantled monument, the Cossacks were met by a police detachment. Trying to pass through the police cordon, the Cossacks provoked a clash with law enforcement officers. 10 activists were detained, about 15 Cossacks were seriously injured.

In July 2011, former President of the Crimean Republic Yuri Meshkov returned to Crimea after 16 years of absence from the peninsula. However, on July 13, the District Administrative Court of Crimea supported the SBU’s proposal to expel the ex-president of Crimea from the territory of Ukraine with a restriction of entry for a period of five years, after Meshkov’s calls for the “restoration of the sovereignty of Crimea” upon his return to the peninsula. Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Party of Regions, head of the “Coordination Council of Organizations of Russian Compatriots of Ukraine” Vadim Kolesnichenko then said that “Meshkov is a man who caused colossal harm to Crimea, Crimean statehood, and Crimean people. Therefore it is correct."

After Viktor Yanukovych declared a course towards signing an Association with the EU, he began to rapidly lose support among the electorate of the South and East of Ukraine. If in the second round of the presidential elections in February 2010 in the eastern regions, Yanukovych received from 71% to 90% of the votes, in the southern regions - from 60% to 78%, then in May 2013, according to a survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), 26% of Ukrainians in the east of the country and 21% in the south were ready to vote for the current president. Experts noted that during the three years of his presidency, Yanukovych spoiled relations with Russia, did not make Russian the second state language and did not agree on a lower gas price, which undermined the president’s support among the pro-Russian electorate. However, the main problems in the country remained high level corruption and social vulnerability of the population.

Aggravation of the political situation in Crimea at the end of 2013 - beginning of 2014

During the political crisis in Ukraine that began in November 2013, the leadership of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea supported the position of President Yanukovych and the Azarov government and criticized the actions of the opposition as threatening, in the opinion of the parliament, the political and economic stability of the country. The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea supported the Prime Minister’s decision to suspend the European integration process and called on Crimeans to “ strengthen friendly ties with regions of the Russian Federation».

Great importance in the current situation was the position of the Crimean Tatar community, the third largest in Crimea, which was largely determined by the attitude of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people - a public organization (representative body) of the Crimean Tatars. During the Euromaidan period, the Mejlis came out in support of European integration and against “ establishment of an authoritarian regime"in Ukraine, that is, from positions directly opposite to the opinion of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. After the violent dispersal of Euromaidan on the night of November 30, 2013, the Presidium of the Mejlis officially condemned the actions of the authorities, declared its solidarity with the demands for the immediate resignation of the Azarov government and the holding of early elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and also sharply criticized the position of the Supreme Council of Crimea. The Mejlis regularly sent organized groups of Crimean Tatars to Kyiv to participate in Euromaidan.

On December 1, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea stated that the opposition protests in Kyiv “ threaten political and economic stability in Ukraine" And " a bunch of politicians are trying to seize power in the country under the guise of fighting for the European vector of development».

On December 2, after mass demonstrations and clashes with police in the center of Kyiv, the Crimean parliament appealed to Viktor Yanukovych “ bring order to the country without stopping before introducing state of emergency ».

On December 3, the Presidium of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea proposed to the President and the Cabinet of Ministers to consider the possibility of Ukraine joining Customs Union EurAsEC, which was categorically opposed by supporters of Euromaidan, and on December 11 called on the population of Crimea “ be prepared to defend autonomy».

On December 13, 2013, people's deputy of Ukraine from the party VO Svoboda, member of the parliamentary committee on national security and defense, Yuriy Sirotyuk said that “if the Ukrainian authorities do not strangle Euromaidan, and Yanukovych’s position does not suit the Russian side, then the situation in the autonomy may try to take control of the Black Sea Fleet” of the Russian Federation. According to his information, in the premises of the Russian Consulate in Simferopol, with the participation of the Russian Consul Vyacheslav Svetlichny, a meeting was held between the head of the Russian Bloc party Gennady Basov, the head of the Russian Unity party Sergei Aksenov and some people’s deputies from the Party of Regions, during which the possibility of holding a in Crimea, by the Party of Regions and pro-Russian forces, a large Anti-Maidan rally, the key demand of which will be the holding of a referendum regarding the state independence of Crimea. He also reported on the available information about military exercises planned by the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the legend of which provides, in particular, for the seizure of administrative buildings.

In mid-January 2014, due to the escalation of the confrontation in Kiev and the unfolding campaign of seizure of administrative buildings in a number of regions of Ukraine, the Russian Community of Crimea and the Russian Unity party, together with representatives of the Cossacks and organizations of Afghan veterans, took the initiative in the formation of people's self-defense squads, popular resistance forces in the event of attempts by extremists and neo-Nazis to penetrate Crimea.

On January 22, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted a statement stating that if “ criminal scenario» « color revolution” will be implemented, then Crimea will face the threat of losing “all the gains of autonomy and its status.” Parliament said it would not give up Crimea " extremists and neo-Nazis", striving " seize power"in the country and " Crimeans will never participate in illegitimate elections<…>and will not live in “Bandera’s” Ukraine»

On January 24, the Presidium of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea called on Yanukovych to introduce a state of emergency and stop funding from the state budget. regions that have declared themselves outlawed, where power has been removed by force, until constitutional order is restored in them“, and three days later he banned the activities of the nationalist party “Svoboda”, which takes an active part in protests, in the region, but later, at the request of the prosecutor’s office, he lifted this ban.

On January 24, 2014, the Russian Bloc party announced recruitment into self-defense units " to fight the Bandera bastard" City mayor Vladimir Yatsuba called on local residents to be ready to defend the city. At the same time, over ten public organizations prepared an appeal to the townspeople, which stated that in the event of a coup d’etat “ Sevastopol, using its right to self-determination, will leave the legal field of Ukraine" The initiator of the appeal was the Sevastopol Coordination Council.

On January 27, at a meeting of the Association of Local Governments of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, chaired by the Speaker of the Crimean Parliament Vladimir Konstantinov, a decision was made to create Crimean voluntary squads in order to assist law enforcement agencies in protecting public order. The Crimean Tatar Mejlis made sharp protests against the creation of voluntary squads, which regarded this decision as a manifestation of separatism in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

On February 4, 2014, a meeting of the Presidium of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was held, at which the chairman of the commission for interaction with local government bodies, Vladimir Klychnikov, proposed to initiate a general Crimean survey on the status of Crimea and appeal to the President and Parliament of the Russian Federation to act as guarantors of the inviolability of the status of the autonomy of Crimea. In this regard, the SBU opened criminal proceedings on the fact of preparation for an attack on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. In turn, some representatives of the Ukrainian parliamentary opposition sharply criticized these statements and called for the Crimean parliament to be held accountable on suspicion of violating the Constitution and laws of Ukraine. Nikolai Tomenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada from the opposition Batkivshchyna party, called for the dissolution of this legislative body, and Alexander Shevchenko, a deputy from the Svoboda party, demanded that Crimean parliamentarians be brought to criminal liability.

On February 18, in connection with another escalation of the situation in Kyiv, the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea sent an appeal to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, publishing it on its official website: “ Today we demand that you, as the head of state, take decisive action and take emergency measures. Hundreds of thousands of Crimeans who voted for you in the presidential elections in the hope of stability in the country are also waiting for this." The Presidium stated that in the event of “ further escalation of civil strife» Supreme Council of the ARC « reserves the right to call on residents of the autonomy to defend civil peace and tranquility on the peninsula».

On February 20, the speaker of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, while in Moscow, where he held meetings with the leaders of parliamentary factions of the State Duma, said in an interview with Interfax that he does not rule out the separation of Crimea from Ukraine if the situation in the country worsens. Answering the question whether, given the unfavorable development of the situation in Ukraine, it is necessary to hold a referendum on the secession of Crimea, he said that he prefers “ don't chew"this topic, since Crimea is one of the pillars of the central government and " if we start doing this, we will simply destroy this central power" At the same time, Vladimir Konstantinov added that the fight is not for Crimea, but for Kyiv. However, if this central power is nevertheless broken under pressure, the Supreme Council of Crimea will recognize only its decisions as legitimate for the autonomy. " And then we will have the only way - this is the denunciation of the decision of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee of 1954... From now on we will recognize those decisions that we consider necessary».

February - March 2014

On February 21, under pressure from Western countries, President Yanukovych signed an agreement with the opposition to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. On the same day, Yanukovych left Kyiv.

The next day, a video recording of an interview with Yanukovych was aired, where he stated that he did not intend to resign or sign the decisions of the Verkhovna Rada, which he considered illegal, and he qualified what was happening in the country as “vandalism, banditry and a coup d’etat.” A few hours later, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution stating that Yanukovych “unconstitutionally withdrew himself from the exercise of constitutional powers” ​​and was not fulfilling his duties, and also appointed early presidential elections as of May 25, 2014.

The change of power in Ukraine and a series of subsequent actions by the former opposition that came to power caused a sharp surge in protest activity by pro-Russian forces in Crimea. Unlike 1992-1994, these performances were actively supported by the Russian Federation.

As it became known from the publication in March 2015 documentary film"Crimea. Path to the Motherland,” on the night of February 22-23, by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a special operation was carried out to evacuate Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and members of his family to safe place on the territory of Crimea. At seven o’clock in the morning on February 23, closing a meeting with the heads of the involved special services, Vladimir Putin, according to him, said: “ The situation has developed in such a way in Ukraine that we are forced to begin work on returning Crimea to Russia, because we cannot abandon this territory and the people who live there to the mercy of fate under the nationalist skating rink" He said that " at the same time he set certain tasks, said what and how we should do, but immediately emphasized that we will do this only if we are absolutely convinced that this is what the people who live in Crimea want».

On February 23, during an action in front of the building of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Simferopol, dedicated to Defender of the Fatherland Day, the Russian Unity party and the Russian Community of Crimea announced the mobilization of Crimeans into people's squads to protect peace and tranquility in Crimea. According to the press service of the Russian Unity party, more than two thousand men signed up for the people's squads. A squad was formed from among the women who came to the event medical care.

On February 23-24, under pressure from pro-Russian activists, the executive authorities of Sevastopol were changed; the de facto head of the city became businessman and Russian citizen Alexey Chaly, appointed head of the Sevastopol city administration for ensuring the city's vital functions and chairman of the coordination council under it. During the rally, the creation of self-defense units from among volunteers was announced.

On February 24, the Presidium of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted a statement on the situation in the country, in which it noted that in Crimea they expect a speedy resolution of the crisis “undermining the economic security of the state.” Recognizing the importance of the transition of the political process “from the streets and squares to the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine,” the Presidium stated that “it is equally important that parliamentarians act strictly within the existing legal framework, without crossing the line beyond which the legitimacy of the decisions they make can be compromised.” doubt”, which, according to the Presidium of the ARC Armed Forces, “so far they have not been fully successful.”

Late in the evening of February 24, a group of deputies of the Russian State Duma, led by the chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, arrived in Simferopol. Eurasian integration and connections with compatriots Leonid Slutsky. Russian deputies stated that they intend to hold a series of meetings with representatives of the Crimean authorities on the political situation on the peninsula. The Chairman of the Crimean government, Anatoly Mogilev, reacted negatively to the past negotiations between Russian and Crimean deputies, saying that any contacts with foreign diplomats and citizens at the official level are, according to current legislation, the prerogative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. According to the Center for Investigative Journalism, Leonid Slutsky told his interlocutors in Crimea that the State Duma was ready to think about annexing Crimea to Russia, and announced the start of issuing Russian passports under a simplified procedure.

On the morning of February 25, a group of Crimean intelligentsia signed the “Letter of Fifteen” compiled the day before, which spoke of the need for an early referendum on the status of Crimea. The letter was read out to the townspeople who had gathered at the building of the ARC Supreme Council and handed over to the Chairman of the ARC Supreme Council, Vladimir Konstantinov.

On February 25, the leader of the “Russian Community of Crimea” Sergei Tsekov, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, acted as one of the initiators of the resignation of the Crimean government led by Anatoly Mogilev, who declared his readiness to carry out the instructions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. For the post of Prime Minister, he proposed the candidacy of Sergei Aksenov, leader of the Russian Unity party.

On the night of February 26-27, several groups of armed people occupied the buildings of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Simferopol. Russian flags were raised above the buildings, and barricades were erected in front of the buildings. Also, in the early morning of February 27, checkpoints were set up on the Perekop Isthmus and the Chongar Peninsula, through which land communications between Crimea and mainland Ukraine are carried out. This day marked the beginning of active and decisive actions by pro-Russian forces, which ended with the annexation of Crimea to Russia.

On February 27, by decision of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the leader of the Russian Unity party, Sergei Aksyonov, was appointed to the post of chairman of the government of the autonomy. This decision, which, according to the Constitution of Ukraine and the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, required approval from the President of Ukraine, was not recognized by the new Ukrainian authorities. According to official statements by the Crimean authorities, Aksyonov’s appointment as prime minister was agreed upon with Viktor Yanukovych, whom the Crimean authorities continued to consider as the de jure president of Ukraine and through whom they managed to negotiate Russian assistance. The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea announced the holding of a Crimean referendum on the status of autonomy and the expansion of its powers. The Presidium of the Supreme Council made a corresponding appeal to the citizens of Crimea. According to the resolution adopted by the Crimean parliament, the question was supposed to be put to a referendum: “The Autonomous Republic of Crimea has state independence and is part of Ukraine on the basis of treaties and agreements (yes or no).” The vote was scheduled for May 25, 2014. The newspaper of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea “Crimean News” dated February 28 stated that in the referendum issue there are no provisions on the separation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea from Ukraine, and the purpose of the vote is “to improve the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea so that the rights of autonomy are guaranteed in case of any changes in the central government or the Constitution of Ukraine. All steps taken are aimed at ensuring that autonomy is taken into account, discussed and coordinated with the decisions of the central authorities.” With the publication of the document, the resolution of the Crimean parliament to hold a referendum on May 25 came into force.

On March 1, Sergei Aksyonov reassigned all power structures of the republic to himself and officially appealed to to the Russian President Vladimir Putin with a request “to provide assistance in ensuring peace and tranquility in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.” On the same day, Putin submitted an appeal to the Federation Council on the use of the Russian Armed Forces on the territory of Ukraine “until the socio-political situation in this country normalizes.” The Federation Council gave its consent to the use of Russian troops in Ukraine.

At the beginning of March, Russian military personnel and Crimean self-defense units blocked all military installations of the Ukrainian armed forces in Crimea. An ultimatum was given to the Ukrainian military: “either go over to the side of the Crimean authorities, or lay down arms, or leave” from the territory of the peninsula, otherwise they were promised an assault on military units. In the absence of clear orders from Kyiv, Ukrainian military personnel did not offer armed resistance to Russian troops, which allowed the latter to capture Ukrainian military bases and garrisons on the peninsula without a fight. However, the Russian leadership for a long time denied the involvement of Russian military personnel in the events in Crimea, admitting its military intervention only after the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation.

On March 4, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is not considering the option of annexing Crimea to Russia, “only citizens themselves, in conditions of freedom of expression in conditions of security, can and should determine their future.” In early March, as Putin admitted on April 10, secret opinion polls were conducted in Crimea to determine the mood of people, during which it was found that the vast majority of residents were in favor of joining Russia. After receiving the results of secret polls, Putin made final decisions on the annexation of Crimea.

On March 6, the authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol announced a change in the wording of the referendum question and the postponement of the vote itself to March 16, 2014. Two questions were put to the referendum: the annexation of Crimea to Russia as a subject of the federation or the restoration of the 1992 Constitution while maintaining Crimea as part of Ukraine. The organizers of the referendum did not provide for the possibility of answering both questions negatively and maintaining the status quo (the 1998 Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea). The question that received the majority of votes is considered to express the direct will of the population of Crimea.

On March 7, 2014, the Federation Council stated that it was ready to support Crimea’s decision to join the Russian Federation. This information was announced by Speaker Valentina Matvienko at a meeting with the Crimean delegation.

On the same day, Acting President of Ukraine Alexander Turchynov, referring to the relevant articles of the Constitution of Ukraine and the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, issued a decree suspending the decision of the Supreme Court of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on holding a referendum.

On March 11, 2014, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted a declaration of independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. In accordance with the declaration, if a decision is made at a referendum to join Russia, Crimea will be declared a sovereign republic and it is in this status that it will turn to the Russian Federation with a proposal to be admitted into the Russian Federation on the basis of an appropriate interstate treaty as a new subject of the Russian Federation.

On March 14, Alexander Turchynov issued a decree suspending the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on the same day declared the decision to hold a general Crimean referendum unconstitutional. On March 15, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decided to early terminate the powers of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, citing the relevant articles of the Constitution of Ukraine and the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as well as the said decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

The referendum was held on the appointed day, despite the opposition of the Ukrainian authorities. According to officially published data, on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, 96.77% of voters were in favor of annexing Crimea to Russia, in Sevastopol - 95.6%. On March 17, the official results of the referendum were approved by the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City Council of Sevastopol. There have been repeated accusations of falsification of voting results, according to the report “ Problems of Crimean residents”, published by the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, “from 50 to 60% of voters voted for the entry of Crimea into the Russian Federation, with a turnout of 30-50%.”

On March 17, 2014, based on the results of the referendum, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea declared Crimea independent sovereign state- The Republic of Crimea, in which Sevastopol has a special status, - and turned to the Russian Federation with a proposal to accept the Republic of Crimea into the Russian Federation as a new subject of the Russian Federation with the status of a republic. The Sevastopol City Council made a similar appeal, proposing that Russia accept Sevastopol into the Russian Federation as a city of federal significance.

On the same day, President Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the Republic of Crimea and approved a draft agreement on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation. On March 18, the agreement was signed, in accordance with it, new entities are formed within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. The treaty came into force on the date of ratification Federal Assembly March 21, but provisionally applied from the date of signature. A transition period was introduced in Crimea until January 1, 2015, during which, in accordance with the Treaty on the Admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation, it was necessary to resolve issues of integration of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia.

On March 20, the treaty was ratified by the State Duma, and on March 21 by the Federation Council. A federal constitutional law on the annexation of Crimea to Russia was also adopted, providing, in particular, for corresponding changes to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

On March 21, Vladimir Putin signed the law on the ratification of the treaty on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the federal constitutional law on the annexation of Crimea to Russia and the transition period for the integration of new subjects of the Federation. On the same day, the Crimean Federal District (KFD) was formed. Oleg Belaventsev was appointed plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in Crimea.

After the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation established the medal “For the Return of Crimea” on March 21, 2014. The first medals were awarded on March 24, 2014.

Legal side of the issue

Within the framework of the legislation of the Russian Federation

According to the current Constitution of the Russian Federation (Article 65, part 2), “admission to the Russian Federation and the formation of a new subject within it are carried out in the manner established by the federal constitutional law,” according to which admission to the Russian Federation as a new subject “ foreign country or part thereof” is carried out exclusively by mutual consent of Russia and the other interested state. The initiative to admit into Russia a new federal subject formed on the territory of a “foreign state” must come from the territory that wants to become part of the Russian Federation, and from this state, and not from the breakaway part. This provision of the law was confirmed in 2004 by the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation in connection with the request of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia to join the Russian Federation.

On February 28, 2014, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergei Mironov introduced amendments to the current legislation, allowing the admission into the Russian Federation of part of a foreign state (on the initiative of local authorities or the results of a local referendum) in the absence of “effective sovereign” power in this state and the impossibility of providing its authorities with civil rights. right According to one of the authors of the Russian constitution and former State Duma deputy Viktor Sheinis, if Mironov’s amendments were approved, the admission of Crimea to the Russian Federation would not violate the norms Russian law, however, would be a serious violation of international law, “which is not required by any to the Russian state, neither Russian society" On March 21, the Venice Commission gave its opinion on the bill, which came to the conclusion that the bill also does not comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. By that time, due to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of Crimea on March 11, there was no longer any need to adopt amendments. On March 17 they were recalled from the State Duma.

The law on the admission of new subjects to the Russian Federation provides that if a territory is admitted to the Russian Federation, it must be granted the status of a republic, territory, region, autonomous region or Autonomous Okrug(however, not cities of federal significance, as happened with Sevastopol). The Constitutional Court of Russia, citing Article 5 of the Constitution, considered it permissible to accept Sevastopol into Russia as a city of federal significance, but did not directly declare whether the restriction established by law remains in force in principle or whether it was repealed as unconstitutional.

Russian lawyer, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Elena Lukyanova, speaking about the assessment of the actions of the Constitutional Court provided for by law when accepting part of a foreign state into its composition - checking for compliance of an international treaty that has not entered into force with the Constitution, named eight cases of violation by the court of its own procedures. In response, the head of the Constitutional Court of Russia, Valery Zorkin, referred to the fact that “for centuries and even millennia, Russia was held together by the highest spiritual bonds, which were called differently at different times. Being held together by these bonds, she could treat legal bonds with greater or lesser disdain.” In his opinion, “when the “armed Maidan landing” from Kyiv was ready to go to Crimea, there was no time for “strict legal chicanery.”

Within the framework of international law

The Russian leadership, justifying the annexation of Crimea, refers to the UN Charter and the 1970 Declaration of Principles of International Law, which enshrines the right to self-determination, including “free accession to or association with an independent state,” which, according to the Russian Federation, was implemented “in extreme conditions the impossibility of realizing (by the population of Crimea) the right to self-determination within Ukraine, aggravated by the rise to power of illegal authorities who do not represent the entire Ukrainian people,” as well as the precedent of recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo. In addition, Russia says it did not exceed or “violate” the troop limits in Crimea set out in the Black Sea Fleet agreements.

The Ukrainian leadership, for its part, views Russia’s actions to annex Crimea as a direct violation of the Budapest Memorandum, by which Russia, Great Britain and the United States confirmed to Ukraine their obligation, in accordance with the principles of the CSCE Final Act, to respect the independence, sovereignty and existing borders of Ukraine, the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and partnership, by which the Russian Federation and Ukraine pledged to respect each other’s integrity and recognized the existing borders between them, and the Treaty on the Russian-Ukrainian State Border, according to which Crimea is recognized as an integral part of Ukraine.

The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe on constitutional law, recognized the referendum in Crimea as illegitimate, concluding that in addition to the Constitution of Ukraine, it also violated basic international principles regarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of subjects of international law.

The opinion that there were no signs of annexation in the international legal sense in the annexation of Crimea to Russia, which had already taken place by that time, was subsequently defended in the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper by Doctor of Law, Professor of the University of Hamburg Reinard Merkel, who, nevertheless, qualified Russia’s actions in Crimea as a military attack to Ukraine.

German law professor Otto Luchterhandt believes that from the point of view of international law, the autonomous status of the Republic of Crimea with its special powers actually already “exhausts” the right to self-determination. The German lawyer also noted that Russia could not include Crimea without violating its international obligations and the norms of its own legislation. Luchterhandt referred to paragraph 4 of Article 15 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that “the generally recognized principles and norms of international law and international treaties of the Russian Federation are an integral part of its legal system. If an international treaty of the Russian Federation establishes rules other than those provided for by law, then the rules of the international treaty apply.”

The President of the Institute of International Law and the School of Law of Tallinn University, Rein Mullerson, called the main prerequisite for the “Ukrainian tragedy” the degradation of the system of international law that occurred during recent years due to fault Western countries and manifested itself, in particular, in their intervention in the Ukrainian political crisis, and the main people responsible for the events in Ukraine were all Ukrainian authorities, starting in 1991, who never “built bridges in a divided country.” Nevertheless, Muellerson regarded what happened in Crimea as an act of aggression, since the actions of Russian troops in Crimea violated Russian-Ukrainian agreements on the Black Sea Fleet. In his assessment, the March 16 referendum was contrary to international law precisely because of Russia’s violation of the principle of the non-use of force or threat of force against a foreign state, and not because of a violation of the Constitution of Ukraine or “the lesser applicability of the principle of self-determination of peoples to Crimea than to Scotland or Quebec,” and even “the sincere desire of the Crimeans to join Russia, expressed, among other things, in the referendum on March 16, does not make it legal. At best, it can be assessed as legitimate."

According to the head of the Department of History of State and Law, Faculty of Law, Moscow state university, Doctor of Law Vladimir Tomsinov, the separation of Crimea from Ukraine and its support by Russian troops was legitimate, since the “coup d’etat in Ukraine” created, in his opinion, the threat of “eradication of Russian culture, Russian language, historical memory of the Russian and Ukrainian people” by the new authorities (due to which the population of Crimea “cannot exercise the right to self-determination without leaving the state in which they live”), and Russian troops, in this situation, were called upon to “deliver the people of Crimea from violent actions on the part of the Ukrainian authorities or radical nationalists, depriving citizens of the opportunity to hold a referendum.”

Economic consequences

Being part of Ukraine, Crimea was a “deeply subsidized region”, the budget of which was replenished by more than half from the state budget of Ukraine. On April 17, 2014, Vladimir Putin reported that “his Ukrainian colleagues admitted to him” that Crimea was artificially made a subsidized region: “More money was taken from it than from other territories and redistributed to other places.”

The socio-economic indicators of Crimea are several times lower than in Russia. As of May 2014, 95% of the region’s budget was financed by the Russian Federation. In accordance with the bill on the Crimean budget, in 2015 47 billion rubles from the Russian federal budget will be spent on its replenishment.

In total, about 100 billion rubles will be spent on Crimea in 2015, and 373 billion rubles in 2015-2017. According to the federal target program for the development of Crimea and Sevastopol until 2020, federal budget expenditures will amount to 733.5 billion rubles.

As of May 2014, federal budget expenditures on Crimea exceeded 100 billion rubles. This money was allocated from the government's anti-crisis fund, which was replenished, among other things, from the funded part of Russians' pensions. As of July 2014, transfers to Crimea from the federal budget exceeded 130 billion rubles.

As stated by the General Director of the Economic Expert Group, Alexander Andryakov, “the expenses for Crimea are unprecedented - so much from federal center Even the North Caucasus republics don’t receive it.” According to Standard & Poor’s, Crimea will be among the most subsidized regions of Russia.

Sanctions in connection with the annexation of Crimea to Russia

Due to the non-recognition of the legality of the annexation of Crimea to Russia, a number of countries and international organizations introduced economic sanctions against the Russian Federation.

On March 17, 2014, the European Union and the United States of America announced the introduction of sanctions in response to a referendum on joining Russia that took place in Crimea, which they consider illegitimate. They imposed sanctions on two dozen Russian and Crimean officials, who were banned from entering the States and Europe, and their accounts in American and European banks were frozen. Canada and Japan also announced the introduction of sanctions against Russia in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

Ukraine's reaction

On March 18, 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine presented the Charge d'Affaires of the Russian Federation in Ukraine A. Vorobyov with a note of protest against Russia's recognition of the Republic of Crimea and the signing of the Treaty on the admission of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to the Russian Federation.

On April 15, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and the legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.” The law declares the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the airspace above them, the internal and territorial waters of Ukraine, including underwater space, their bottom and subsoil, as territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, and establishes a special legal regime in this territory. According to the law, the Crimean Peninsula is declared an integral part of the territory of Ukraine, which is subject to Ukrainian legislation. On January 27, 2015, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a resolution according to which Russia’s policy towards Ukraine is regarded as aggression, which began with the use of Russian troops in Crimea at the end of February 2014, and which continued during the war in Donbass.

According to an October 2014 Gallup poll, Ukrainians strongly disapprove of the annexation of Crimea to Russia, with only 4% approving, while ordinary residents do not believe that the region should be returned immediately, with only 16% of citizens in favor of it. According to the survey, 34% of the country's residents believe that Crimea should not be returned.

International reaction to accession

The annexation of Crimea to Russia caused a predominantly negative international reaction. The Western community (G7, NATO and EU member states) regarded Russia’s actions as aggression, annexation of Ukrainian territory, and undermining its territorial integrity. Russia, in turn, views the annexation of Crimea as the realization of the right of the local population to self-determination.

March 27, 2014 UN General Assembly adopted a resolution of a recommendatory nature in support of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, the text of which declares the all-Crimean referendum on March 16, 2014 invalid. Of the 193 UN member states, 100 states voted “for” the adoption of the resolution, 11 “against” (Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, Russia, Syria, Sudan), 58 abstained, did not vote - 24.

And cities of federal significance.

In the second half of February 2014, protests began in Crimea by the local, mostly Russian-speaking, population against the actions of supporters who came to power as a result. On February 23-24, under pressure from pro-Russian activists, the executive authorities of Sevastopol were changed, and on February 27, after the seizure of the buildings of the authorities of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was also replaced. The new Crimean authorities declared the illegitimacy of the post-Maidan government of Ukraine and turned for assistance and assistance to the leadership, which provided them with full support.

March 16 was held on the basis official results which, adopted on March 11, was unilaterally proclaimed independent, having signed with Russia.

Annexation of Crimea to Russia caused a negative international reaction. The Western community ("", member states, ) regarded it as Ukrainian territory, following Russia's armed intervention in the internal affairs of Ukraine. Russia, in turn, views the annexation of Crimea to Russia as the realization of the right of the local population to self-determination. Ukraine itself does not recognize the annexation of Crimea to Russia; On April 15, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a decision declaring the city to be territories occupied by the Russian Federation.

On March 27, 2014, by a majority vote, it adopted its commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, non-recognition of the Crimean referendum and changes in the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol based on it.

Background

October 18, 1921 at As part of the RSFSR, a multinational one was formed. The population of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was 1 million 126 thousand people (49.6%, 19.4%, 13.7%, 5.8%, 4.5%).

After in 1944-1946. Crimean Tatars On June 25, 1946, the Crimean ASSR was abolished and transformed into.

In April 1954, the Crimean region was transferred to the composition with the following wording: “Taking into account the commonality of the economy, territorial proximity and close economic and cultural ties between the Crimean region and the Ukrainian SSR” . According to some Russian researchers and politicians, Sevastopol in 1954 was not formally transferred to the Ukrainian SSR as part of the Crimean region, since since 1948 it had been a city of republican subordination to the RSFSR. The Supreme Council of the Russian Federation also adhered to this position when it adopted it on July 9, 1993 (see).

In 1989, the deportation of the Crimean Tatars was recognized by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR as illegal and criminal. Crimean Tatars were allowed to settle in Crimea. A massive return of the Crimean Tatar people to their historical homeland has begun.

In November 1990, the question of restoring the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was raised. On January 20, 1991, a referendum was held in the Crimean region to re-establish Crimean autonomy. 81.37% of Crimeans included in the voting lists accepted the referendum. 93.26% of citizens who took part in the referendum supported the re-establishment of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Law “On the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.” Article 1 stated:

“To restore the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the territory of the Crimean region as part of the Ukrainian SSR.”

On June 19 of the same year, mention of restored autonomy was included in the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR.

In 1991, 54% of residents of Crimea and 57% of residents of Sevastopol supported the independence of Ukraine.

On February 26, 1992, by decision of the Supreme Council of Autonomy, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was renamed the Republic of Crimea, and on May 6 of the same year, the Crimean Constitution was adopted, which confirmed this name and also established the entry of Crimea into Ukraine on a contractual basis, but the Supreme Council of Ukraine did not approved the name “Republic of Crimea”.

On May 21, 1992, he adopted resolution No. 2809-1, which was recognized as “no legal force from the moment of adoption” due to the fact that it was adopted “in violation of legislative procedure.” However, the Russian parliament clarified that, due to the constitution of subsequent legislation of the RSFSR, the fact of the transfer of the Crimeanregion and the conclusion between Ukraine and Russia of a bilateral agreement dated November 19, 1990, in which the parties renounce territorial claims, and the consolidation of this principle in treaties and agreements between the CIS states, considers it necessary to resolve the issue of Crimea through interstate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine with the participation of Crimea and based on the will of its population.

In 1992-1994, pro-Russian political forces attempted to separate Crimea from Ukraine. These actions were stopped by the Ukrainian authorities, but the autonomy of Crimeawas saved. In September, the Supreme Council of Ukraine renamed the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (Republic of Crimea) and in March 1995 unilaterally abolished the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Crimea.

By 1994, the highest success of the Crimean pro-Russian movement until 2014 was achieved. However, after a convincing victory in the elections, the pro-Russian leadership of Crimea was faced with the lack of a financial, economic, and managerial basis for real autonomy, as well as with the extremely negative position of Russia, whose leadership at that time was trying to get closer to and therefore considered the support of Russia by voters abroad as an unpleasant obstacle. capable of reviving suspicions in the West regarding Russia’s “unlived imperial ambitions.” In addition, an internal political crisis soon broke out in Crimea.As a result, already in 1995, the Ukrainian authorities achieved changes to the constitution of Crimea and the abolition of the post of president of the republic; there was no official reaction from Russia to these events.

The possibility of a new conflict in Crimea in connection with a new redivision of the world was considered high already in the early 2000s. Aftera number of experts suggested that the next conflict in Crimea would be the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian-speaking majority of the population and the policies of the Ukrainian elites allowed some researchers to suggest already in 2010 that the political split in Ukraine could lead to a referendum on joining Russia in Crimea.

Legal side of the issue

According to the current(Article 65, part 2), “admission to the Russian Federation and the formation of a new subject within it are carried out in the manner established”, according to which the admission to the Russian Federation as a new subject of a “foreign state or part thereof” is carried out exclusively by mutual consent of Russia and other interested state. The initiative to admit into Russia a new federal subject formed on the territory of a “foreign state” must come from the territory that wants to become part of the Russian Federation, and from this state, and not from the breakaway part. This provision of the law was confirmed in 2004 in connection with the request of the unrecognized republic to join the Russian Federation.

On February 28, 2014, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation introduced amendments to the current legislation, allowing the admission of part of a foreign state into the Russian Federation (on the initiative of local authorities or the results of a local referendum) in the absence of “effective sovereign” power in this state and the impossibility of ensuring civil rights by its authorities. According to one of the authors of the Russian constitution and a former deputy of the State Duma, if Mironov’s amendments were approved, the admission of Crimea to the Russian Federation would not violate the norms of Russian law, but would become a serious violation of international law, “which is not required by either the Russian state or Russian society.” . On March 21, the Venice Commission gave its opinion on the bill, which came to the conclusion that the bill also does not comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation. By that time, in connection with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of Crimea on March 11 (see), the need for adoption of amendments had ceased. On March 17 they were recalled from the State Duma.

The law on the admission of new subjects to the Russian Federation provides , that if a territory is accepted into the Russian Federation, it should be given the status of a republic, territory, region, autonomous region or autonomous district (however, not a city of federal significance, as happened with Sevastopol). The Constitutional Court of Russia, citing Article 5 of the Constitution, considered it permissible to accept Sevastopol into Russia as a city of federal significance, but did not directly declare whether the restriction established by law remains in force in principle or whether it was repealed as unconstitutional.

Joining process

On March 17, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a draft agreement on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation. On March 18, 2014, Vladimir Putin began the procedure for admitting the Republic of Crimea to Russia, notifying the government and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation about the proposals of the State Council of Crimea and the Legislative Assembly of Sevastopol on admission to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities. In the St. George's Hall, in the presence of the leaders of Crimea and Sevastopol, Putin spoke with the federal city of Sevastopol. The Treaty came into force on the date of ratification by the Federal Assembly on March 21, but was provisionally applied from the date of signature.

On March 18, the President of the Russian Federation received a request to verify the compliance of the Constitution of the Russian Federation with the signed agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation. The request was accepted for consideration without holding a public hearing.

On March 19, the Constitutional Court recognized the agreement as complying with the constitution. On the same day, President Putin submitted for ratification to the State Duma the Treaty on the Admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and an amendment to the Constitution on the creation of new subjects of the Federation.

On March 20, the State Duma of the Russian Federation ratified the Treaty on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation with all against.

On March 21, the agreement was ratified by the Federation Council. A federal constitutional law on education in the Russian Federation was also adopted Federation of two new subjects - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. On March 21, Vladimir Putin signed the law on the ratification of the treaty on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the federal constitutional law on the procedure for the entry of Crimea and Sevastopol into Russia and the transition period for the integration of new subjects of the Federation. Southern Military District .

On April 11, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol were included in the list of subjects of the Russian Federation in the Russian Constitution.

On April 25, 2014, Russia established a state border between Crimea and Ukraine.

Includes 14 districts, 16 cities, 56 towns, 950 villages Adm. center Simferopol History and geography Date of formation February 12, 1991 Square 26,081 km² (13th place) Timezone EET (UTC+2, summer UTC+3) Population Population 1,957,801 people (03/01/2014) Density 75.42 people/km² Nationalities Russians, Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars Confessions Orthodoxy, Islam official languages Ukrainian, Russian and Crimean Tatar Digital IDs ISO 3166-2 code UA-43 KOATUU all codes Telephone code +380-65 Internet domain .crimea.ua; .cr.ua Auto code numbers AK (formerly KR, KO, RK, MYA, 01) Former names before - Crimean ASSR
before - Republic of Crimea
Official site
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Autonomous Republic of Crimea, ARK(ukr. Autonomous Republic of Crimea, ARC, Crimean Tat. Qırım Muhtar Cumhuriyeti, Qırım Mukhtar Cumhuriyeti, QMC, KMJ listen)) is an autonomous republic within Ukraine.

Crimean autonomy within Ukraine was formed by the law of the Ukrainian SSR of February 12, 1991 as Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992, the autonomy was renamed Republic of Crimea, and in 1994 - to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

In February-March 2014, the actual annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation was carried out, within the framework of the federal structure of which federal subjects were formed on the corresponding territory - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

Story

Restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

For the first time at the state level, the need to restore the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was stated in the Resolution of the USSR Supreme Court “On the conclusions and proposals of commissions on the problems of Soviet Germans and the Crimean Tatar people” dated November 28, 1989, No. 845-1, which noted that “the restoration of rights of the Crimean Tatar people cannot be achieved without restoring the autonomy of Crimea through the formation of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Ukrainian SSR. This would correspond to the interests of both the Crimean Tatars and representatives of other nationalities currently living in Crimea.” (Published: Gazette of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, 1989, November 29 (No. 25). P. 669 (No. 495).

In November 1990, the question of restoring the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was raised by the Crimean Regional Council.

On January 20, 1991, a referendum was held in the Crimean region on the issue of re-establishing the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a subject of the USSR and a party to the Union Treaty. Turnout exceeded 81%, 93% voted for the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic; Subsequently, the day of the referendum began to be celebrated in the republic as “Day of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.”

Guided by the results of the referendum, on February 12, 1991, the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the Law “On the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic”, according to Article 1 of which the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed within the territory of the Crimean region as part of the Ukrainian SSR. According to this law, the Crimean Regional Council of People's Deputies was temporarily recognized as the highest body of state power on the territory of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (until the adoption of the Constitution of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the creation of constitutional bodies of state power). On March 22, 1991, the Crimean Regional Council of People's Deputies was transformed into the Supreme Council of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and was tasked with drafting the Constitution of Crimea. 4 months later, on June 19, mention of Crimean autonomy was included in the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR.

However, already on August 24, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR proclaimed the independence of Ukraine and announced the termination of the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR and the USSR on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR. Instead, the Constitution of Ukraine, which did not exist at that time, should apply.

Republic of Crimea

On September 4, 1991, an emergency session of the Supreme Council of the Autonomy adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Republic of Crimea, which stated the desire to remain part of Ukraine.

On February 26, 1992, by decision of the Supreme Council of Crimea, the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was renamed the Republic of Crimea. On May 5 of the same year, the Supreme Council of Crimea adopted an act declaring state independence of the Republic of Crimea, and a day later - the Constitution, which confirmed the renaming of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and defined the Republic of Crimea as democratic state within Ukraine, and the city of Sevastopol - as a city with a special status and an integral part of Crimea.

On February 4, 1994, Yu. A. Meshkov, a representative of the pro-Russian bloc "Russia", was elected president of Crimea. On March 10 of the same year, he issued a decree ordering a survey to be held on March 27 on the restoration of the 1992 Constitution in its original version. In accordance with the official results of the survey, on May 20, 1994, the Supreme Council of Crimea adopted the law of the Republic of Crimea “On the restoration of the constitutional foundations of statehood of the Republic of Crimea,” repealing the constitutional amendments of September 1992. The central government of Ukraine did not support this development of events.

Autonomous Republic of Crimea

On September 21, 1994, the issue of Crimean autonomy was considered at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Legal Policy and Judicial Reform V. Stretovich said that at the Ukrainian-Crimean negotiations “quite often I heard” that the Constitution of Ukraine does not apply to the Republic of Crimea, since it refers to the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, and proposed replacing in the Constitution, all remaining references to the name “Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic” to “Republic of Crimea”, however, this proposal was criticized, since “Crimea makes claims that are not true, and we satisfy them. Even in something as small as the name “Republic of Crimea”. That is, we are no longer talking about autonomy.” As a result, it was decided to write down the name of the Crimean autonomy as “Autonomous Republic of Crimea”.

On March 17, 1995, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On the abolition of the Constitution and some laws of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea”, in connection with which many previously adopted normative legal acts were canceled and the post of President of the Republic of Crimea was abolished. Among them, the Law of Ukraine “On the Status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea” dated April 29, 1992 No. 2299-XII was repealed, instead of which the Law of Ukraine “On the Autonomous Republic of Crimea” (Law of Ukraine “On the Autonomous Republic of Crimea”) of March 17 came into force 1995 No. 95/95-BP.

Authorities

The system of government bodies of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which actually operated before the annexation of Crimea to Russia, was established by the Constitution of Ukraine, as well as the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, adopted at the second session of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on October 21, 1998 and which came into force on January 11, 1999.

In order to “promote the exercise of the powers of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea,” a representative office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea functioned in Simferopol, the head of which was appointed by decree of the head of state. Since May 17, 2014, the representative office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has been located on the territory of Ukraine, in Kherson. The position of Permanent Representative is currently vacant.

Borders

Administrative division

Administratively, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea consists of 25 regions: 14 districts (with a predominantly rural population) and 11 territories subordinate to the city councils of cities of republican subordination (with a predominantly urban population). According to the legislation of Ukraine, heads of local state administrations in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea are appointed and dismissed by the President of Ukraine on the proposal of the Government of Ukraine, agreed upon with the Chairman of the Supreme Council, the Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and city mayors are elected territorial communities.

Settlements - 1020, including: urban - 72, rural - 948.

Districts	Territories, subordinate to city councils
1 Bakhchisarai district	15 Alushta City Council
2 Belogorsky district	16 Armenian City Council
3 Dzhankoy district	17 Dzhankoy City Council
4 Kirovsky district	18 Yevpatoria City Council
5 Krasnogvardeisky district	19 Kerch City Council
6 Krasnoperekopsky district	20 Krasnoperekopsk City Council
7 Leninsky district	21 Saki City Council
8 Nizhnegorsky district	22 Simferopol City Council
9 Pervomaisky district	23 Sudak City Council
10 Razdolnensky district	24 Feodosia City Council
11 Saki district	25 Yalta City Council
12 Simferopol district
13 Sovetsky district
14 Chernomorsky district

Population

The population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, according to Civil service Statistics of Ukraine, as of March 1, 2014, was 1,966,556 people, including the urban population of 1,232,850 people, the rural population - 733,706 people. The permanent population was 1,957,801 people, including the urban population - 1,218,044 people, rural - 739,757 people.

Ethnic composition

During the last all-Ukrainian census (2001), the population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was 2,024,056 people, of which 58.5% were Russians, 24.3% were Ukrainians, 12.1% were Crimean Tatars, 1.4% were Belarusians, 1.1% were Armenians, 0.6% Tatars, 0.2% each of Jews, Poles, Moldovans, Azerbaijanis, 0.1% each of Uzbeks, Koreans, Greeks, Germans, Mordovians, Chuvashs, Gypsies, Bulgarians, Georgians and Maris. Estonians, Karaites, Crimeans, Italians and other nationalities also lived in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Languages

According to the 2001 census, Ukrainian language considered native language by 10.1% of the population of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Russian by 77.0% of the population, Crimean Tatar by 11.4%.

According to a survey conducted in 2004 (KIIS), the Russian language (including other languages) is used for communication by the absolute majority - 97% of the total population of Crimea.

Economy

The main sectors of the economy of Crimea are industry, tourism (Western Crimea, Southern Coast of Crimea, Kerch Peninsula), construction, healthcare, agriculture, trade.

Agriculture

View of Crimean vineyards from a height of several hundred meters

The specialization of Crimean agriculture is grain growing, livestock farming, viticulture, horticulture, vegetable growing, as well as the cultivation of essential oil crops (lavender, roses, sage).

The oldest agricultural industry in Crimea is viticulture. Crimea is famous for its technical grape varieties, which are used to produce high-quality wines, cognacs and juices. The republic was the main region of Ukraine for grape production.

Natural resources

The natural reserve fund, located on the territory of the autonomy, includes 158 objects and territories (including 46 of national importance). Its basis is 6 nature reserves with a total area of ​​63.9 thousand hectares: Krymsky with the Swan Islands branch, Yalta mountain-forest, Cape Martyan, Karadag, Kazantipsky, Opuksky. region of the Marine Corps in the Cape area, according to which the fleet was based in Crimea, there were

1. calling elections of deputies to the Supreme Council of the ARC, approving the composition of the election commission of the ARC;
2. organization and conduct of local referendums;
3. management of property owned by the ARC;
4. development, approval and execution of the ARC budget based on the unified tax and budget policy of Ukraine;
5. development, approval and implementation of ARC programs on socio-economic and cultural development, rational environmental management, protection environment- in accordance with national programs;
6. identification of resorts and sanitary protection zones of resorts;
7. participation in ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens, national harmony, assistance in maintaining law and order and public safety;
8. ensuring the functioning and development of state and national languages ​​and cultures in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; protection and use of historical monuments;
9. participation in the development and implementation of state programs for the return of deported peoples;
10. initiating the introduction of a state of emergency and establishing zones of environmental emergency in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or in its individual localities.

The same article provides for the possibility of legislative delegation of additional powers to the autonomous republic.

According to the Constitution of Crimea, the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has the right to hear information on activities, approve appointments to positions and dismissals from positions:

• Head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
• Head of the Main Directorate of Justice of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
• General Director of State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company "Crimea";
• Prosecutor of the ARC.

The Chairmen of the Supreme Council and the Council of Ministers of Crimea are vested with the authority to approve appointments to positions and dismissals from positions:

• Deputy Heads of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Crimea;
• heads of city and district departments of internal affairs of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Crimea;
• Deputy Heads of the Main Directorate of Justice of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in Crimea;
• Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the State Tax Administration in Crimea and heads of district and city tax inspectorates in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
• head and deputies of the tax police department in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
• the head and deputy heads of the Control and Audit Department in Crimea, the head and deputy heads of the Crimean regional customs;
• Chairman of the branch of the State Property Fund in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;
• Director of the Radio and Television Transmission Center.

Since March 2014, the ownership of the territory of the republic has been the subject of interstate disagreements between Ukraine and Russia. De facto, this territory became part of the Russian Federation as a new federal subject, the Republic of Crimea. Ukraine does not recognize the secession of Crimea and its annexation to Russia and considers the Autonomous Republic of Crimea “temporarily occupied.”

In particular, on May 16, 2014, Alexander Turchynov, appointed by the Verkhovna Rada and... O. President, signed an order on measures to restore the activities of the representative office of the President of Ukraine in Crimea. Representation, temporarily located in Kherson, opens “in order to ensure the restoration of the activities of the representative office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea under the conditions of temporary occupation of the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.” On May 22, Natalia Popovich was appointed permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. A month earlier, on April 15, 2014, the law “On ensuring the rights and freedoms of citizens and the legal regime in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine” was adopted, which established a number of restrictions and exemptions in the Ukrainian legal field in relation to the territory of the republic, in particular, according to this law Some species are prohibited in Crimea economic activity and restrictions have been established on the entry and exit of foreign citizens and stateless persons, and elections to national bodies of Ukraine (to the Verkhovna Rada and to the post of president) are not held on the territory of Crimea.

Article 1. Grounds and term for admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation

1. The Republic of Crimea is admitted to the Russian Federation in accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Article 4 of the Federal Constitutional Law of December 17, 2001 N 6-FKZ “On the procedure for admission to the Russian Federation and the formation of a new subject of the Russian Federation within it.”

2. The grounds for admitting the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation are:

1) the results of the all-Crimean referendum held on March 16, 2014 in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which supported the issue of the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a subject of the Russian Federation;

2) Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation;

3) proposals from the Republic of Crimea and the city with a special status of Sevastopol for admission to the Russian Federation of the Republic of Crimea, including the city with a special status of Sevastopol;

4) this Federal Constitutional Law.

3. The Republic of Crimea is considered accepted into the Russian Federation from the date of signing the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation.

Article 2. Formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, their names and status

1. From the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation, new subjects are formed within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

2. The names of the new subjects of the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol are subject to inclusion in part 1 of Article 65 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

3. New subjects of the Russian Federation have the status of a republic and a city of federal significance, respectively.

4. The state languages ​​of the Republic of Crimea are Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar languages.

Article 3. Limits of the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol

1. The boundaries of the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol are determined by the boundaries of the territory of the Republic of Crimea and the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol that existed on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation.

2. The land border of the Republic of Crimea, adjacent to the territory of Ukraine, is the State border of the Russian Federation.

3. The delimitation of the maritime spaces of the Black and Azov Seas is carried out on the basis of international treaties of the Russian Federation, norms and principles of international law.

Article 4. Recognition of citizenship of the Russian Federation among citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in the territory of the Republic of Crimea or in the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol

1. From the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing on that day in the territory of the Republic of Crimea or in the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol are recognized as citizens of the Russian Federation, with the exception of persons who, within one month after this day, declare their desire to retain another citizenship that they and (or) their minor children have or to remain stateless.

2. Identity documents of a citizen of the Russian Federation are issued within three months from the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation.

3. Restrictions on filling state and municipal positions, positions of state and municipal service, provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation in relation to citizens of the Russian Federation who have citizenship of a foreign state or a residence permit or other document confirming the right to permanent residence of a citizen of the Russian Federation in the territory of a foreign state , are valid in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol after one month from the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation.

Article 5. Issues of military duty and military service

1. Military command and control bodies and military formations of the Republic of Crimea carry out their activities in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation until the issue of inclusion of these bodies and formations in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies or their reorganization (disbandment) is resolved.

2. Creation in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol military command bodies, associations, formations, military units and organizations of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies, military commissariats, as well as the determination of their structure, composition and staffing levels carried out in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, taking into account the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

3. Military personnel passing military service under contract and conscription in military authorities and military formations of the Republic of Crimea continue to perform the duties of military service in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation until the issue of inclusion of these bodies and formations into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies or their reorganization (disbandment) is resolved.

4. Military personnel of military command and control bodies and military formations of the Republic of Crimea have a preferential right to enter military service under a contract in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies if they have citizenship of the Russian Federation and subject to their compliance with other requirements legislation of the Russian Federation for citizens entering military service under a contract.

5. Military personnel of the military administration bodies and military formations of the Republic of Crimea, undergoing military service upon conscription, continue to perform military duties in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies until the end of the established periods of military service, provided they have citizenship of the Russian Federation.

6. Citizens of the Russian Federation, called up for military service in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, undergo military service in military command bodies, associations, formations and military units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and bodies stationed in the territories of the Republic Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, until 2016 inclusive.

Article 6. Transitional period

From the date of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation and until January 1, 2015, a transition period is in effect, during which the issues of integration of new subjects of the Russian Federation into the economic, financial, credit and legal systems of the Russian Federation, into the system government bodies of the Russian Federation.

Article 7. Formation of state authorities of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. Elections to government bodies of the Republic of Crimea and to government bodies of the federal city of Sevastopol are held on the second Sunday of September 2015.

2. Before the election of government bodies of the Republic of Crimea and government bodies of the federal city of Sevastopol, their powers are exercised respectively by the State Council of the Republic of Crimea - the Parliament of the Republic of Crimea and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea, the Legislative Assembly of the city of Sevastopol.

3. The State Council of the Republic of Crimea and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea, the Legislative Assembly of the city of Sevastopol have the right to carry out their own legal regulation, including the adoption of laws and other normative legal acts that cannot contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation and federal laws.

4. Elections to government bodies of the Republic of Crimea and to government bodies of the federal city of Sevastopol are held in accordance with regulatory legal acts State Council of the Republic of Crimea and regulatory legal acts of the Legislative Assembly of the city of Sevastopol. The specified normative legal acts cannot contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation and the legislation of the Russian Federation on elections.

5. The legislative (representative) body of state power of the Republic of Crimea adopts the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea, which cannot contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

6. The legislative (representative) body of state power of the federal city of Sevastopol adopts the Charter of the federal city of Sevastopol, which cannot contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

7. In accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea and the Charter of the federal city of Sevastopol, the executive authorities of the Republic of Crimea and the executive authorities of the federal city of Sevastopol are formed. The system of executive authorities of the Republic of Crimea and the system of executive authorities of the federal city of Sevastopol must comply general principles organizations of executive bodies of state power of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

8. Until the completion of the formation, in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, of the executive authorities of the Republic of Crimea and the executive authorities of the federal city of Sevastopol, the heads of local state administrations are appointed and dismissed by the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea.

9. During the transition period, in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, taking into account their administrative-territorial division established respectively by the legislative (representative) body of state power of the Republic of Crimea and the legislative (representative) body of state power of the federal city of Sevastopol, territorial bodies federal executive authorities. The creation of these territorial bodies is carried out by federal executive authorities in agreement with the relevant state authorities of the Republic of Crimea and state authorities of the federal city of Sevastopol.

10. Employees of security agencies, customs and police of the Republic of Crimea, employees of other government bodies holding positions in these bodies on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, have a preferential right to enter service in federal service bodies security, customs authorities of the Russian Federation and internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation, other government bodies created in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, if they have citizenship of the Russian Federation, as well as subject to passing the exam for knowledge of the legislation of the Russian Federation and their compliance with the requirements imposed by the legislation of the Russian Federation on employees of these bodies.

Article 8. Creation of prosecutorial bodies in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. During the transition period, the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation creates in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol the prosecutor's office of the Republic of Crimea and the prosecutor's office of the federal city of Sevastopol, which have the status of the prosecutor's office of a constituent entity of the Russian Federation. The prosecutor of the Republic of Crimea and the prosecutor of the federal city of Sevastopol are appointed by the President of the Russian Federation on the proposal of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, agreed upon respectively with the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

2. Other prosecutors exercising their powers in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol are appointed in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3. Employees of the prosecutor's office of Ukraine, holding positions in the specified bodies operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, have a preferential right to enter service in the prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation, created in these territories, provided they have citizenship of the Russian Federation, as well as subject to passing an exam on knowledge of the legislation of the Russian Federation and their compliance with the requirements imposed by the legislation of the Russian Federation on employees of the prosecutor's office.

4. Until the completion of the formation of the prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, the corresponding powers in these territories are exercised by the prosecutor's office operating on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation.

Article 9. Establishment of courts of the Russian Federation in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. Delivering transitional justice

1. During the transition period, in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, taking into account their administrative-territorial division established respectively by the legislative (representative) body of state power of the Republic of Crimea and the legislative (representative) body of state power of the federal city of Sevastopol, courts of the Russian Federation are created Federation (federal courts) in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on the judicial system.

2. Citizens filling the positions of judges of the courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, have a preferential right to fill the position of judge in the courts of the Russian Federation created in these territories, if they have citizenship of the Russian Federation, as well as subject to their compliance with other requirements imposed by the legislation of the Russian Federation on the status of judges for candidates for judicial positions. Competitive selection for the position of judge in these courts is carried out by the Higher Qualification Board of Judges of the Russian Federation.

3. In the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, on the initiative of the legislative (representative) body of state power of the Republic of Crimea and the legislative (representative) body of state power of the federal city of Sevastopol, agreed with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, judicial districts and magistrate positions may be created judges in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

4. The decision on the start date of the activities of federal courts in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol is made by the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and officially notified about it.

5. Until the establishment of courts of the Russian Federation in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, justice on behalf of the Russian Federation in these territories is carried out by the courts operating on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation. Persons filling the positions of judges of these courts continue to administer justice until the establishment and commencement of activities in the indicated territories of the courts of the Russian Federation, provided that they have citizenship of the Russian Federation.

6. The highest judicial authorities in relation to decisions and sentences of the courts specified in part 5 of this article are the courts of appeal operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, and the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

7. Statements on civil and administrative cases, on economic disputes, as well as criminal cases accepted for proceedings by the courts of first instance operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects, and not considered on this day, are considered according to the rules established by the relevant procedural legislation of the Russian Federation, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses. Criminal cases are subject to consideration provided that the charge brought is supported by the prosecutor of the relevant territorial body of the prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation on behalf of the Russian Federation.

8. Appeals accepted for proceedings by the relevant appellate courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, and not considered on that day, are considered according to the rules established by the relevant procedural legislation of the Russian Federation, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses. Appeals against decisions in criminal cases are subject to consideration provided that the charge brought is supported by the prosecutor of the relevant territorial body of the prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation on behalf of the Russian Federation.

9. Resolutions of general and administrative courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, which entered into legal force before that day and were the subject of appeal consideration in the relevant appeal courts courts operating on that day in the specified territories, within three months after their entry into legal force, they can be appealed, respectively, to the Judicial Collegium for Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Judicial Collegium for Civil Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases Supreme Court of the Russian Federation.

10. Resolutions in cases of administrative offenses of the courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities in the Russian Federation, which entered into legal force before this day, can be appealed to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in accordance with Chapter 30 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Violations of Law.

11. Resolutions of economic courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, which entered into legal force before that day and were the subject of appeal consideration in the Sevastopol Economic Court of Appeal , within three months after their entry into force, but no later than August 5, 2014, may be appealed to the Higher Arbitration court Russian Federation.

12. Consideration by the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation of complaints against court decisions specified in part 11 of this article is carried out in accordance with Chapter 36 of the Arbitration Procedural Code of the Russian Federation.

13. After August 5, 2014, court decisions specified in part 11 of this article, within three months after they enter into force, can be appealed to the Judicial Collegium for Economic Disputes of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, formed in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation on the Amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of February 5, 2014 N 2-FKZ "On the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation".

14. Consideration by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, acting before the formation of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation on the amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of February 5, 2014 No. 2-FKZ "On the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation", complaints against judicial decisions of the courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation are carried out in accordance with chapters 41 and 41 1 of the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, chapters 47 1 and 48 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, Chapter 30 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offences.

15. Consideration by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, established in accordance with the Law of the Russian Federation on the amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation of February 5, 2014 N 2-FKZ "On the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation", complaints against judicial decisions of courts acting on territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, is carried out in accordance with chapters 41 and 41 1 of the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, chapters 47 1 and 48 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, with Articles 291 1 - 291 15 and with Chapter 36 1 of the Arbitration Procedural Code of the Russian Federation, Chapter 30 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses.

16. Grounds for review by the Judicial Collegium for Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Judicial Collegium for Civil Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Judicial Collegium for Economic Disputes of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation The federation of decisions of courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation constitutes significant violations by these courts of the norms of substantive and procedural law.

17. In case of cancellation by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation, in whole or in part, of a court decision in force on the territory of the Republic of Crimea or on the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects, and sending the case for a new trial to the appropriate court operating on the territory of the Republic of Crimea or on the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol, consideration of such a case is carried out according to the rules established by the relevant procedural legislation of the Russian Federation, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offences.

18. Rulings of the Judicial Collegium for Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Judicial Collegium for Civil Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Judicial Collegium for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Judicial Collegium for Economic Disputes of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, issued following the results of cassation consideration of complaints against decisions of courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation may be appealed in the manner established by Chapter 41 1 of the Civil Procedure Code of the Russian Federation, Chapter 48 1 Criminal -Procedural Code of the Russian Federation and Chapter 36 1 of the Arbitration Procedural Code of the Russian Federation.

19. Decrees of courts operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, which were considered in cassation proceedings in the corresponding cassation court operating on that day, entered into legal force on the territory of the Republic of Crimea or on the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol, are not subject to appeal to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation and the Supreme Arbitration Court of the Russian Federation.

20. The investigation of criminal cases being processed by preliminary investigation bodies operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation is carried out in accordance with the criminal procedural legislation of the Russian Federation . Criminal cases are transferred for consideration to the courts, provided that the charge brought is supported by the prosecutor of the territorial body of the prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation on behalf of the Russian Federation.

21. During the transition period, ensuring the activities of courts and the execution of court decisions are carried out in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Article 10. Functioning of state and local institutions, enterprises and organizations in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

State and local institutions, enterprises and organizations operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, carry out their activities while maintaining the previous organizational and legal form until their legal status in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Article 11. Guarantees in the field of social protection and health care

1. Citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing on the territory of the Republic of Crimea or on the territory of the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, recognized as citizens of the Russian Federation in accordance with this Federal Constitutional Law or who have acquired citizenship of the Russian Federation in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on citizenship, have the right to receive pensions, benefits and the provision of other measures of social support, as well as to health care in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

2. The total amount of material support for non-working pensioners from among the citizens and persons specified in part 1 of this article cannot be less than the cost of living for a pensioner established in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

3. Amounts of pensions, benefits (including one-time benefits), compensation and other types social payments, as well as guarantees established in monetary form separate categories citizens and persons specified in part 1 of this article cannot be lower than the amount of pensions, benefits (including one-time payments), compensation and other types of social payments, as well as guarantees established in cash and paid to these categories of citizens and persons according to their status as of February 21, 2014. If the procedure and conditions for the implementation of benefits provided to these categories of citizens and persons in kind before February 21, 2014 change, as well as the procedure and conditions for payments made before that date, the total amount of financing for the corresponding benefits and payments cannot be reduced, and the conditions their provision cannot be impaired. The amounts of pensions, benefits (including one-time payments), compensations and other types of social payments, as well as guarantees established in cash, are brought into line with the amounts of such social payments and guarantees provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation during the transition period.

4. Payment of pensions, benefits (including one-time payments), compensation and other types of social payments, as well as the provision of guarantees established in cash to certain categories of citizens and persons specified in Part 1 of this article, is made in Russian rubles at the official rate, established by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia).

5. The provision of medical care to citizens and persons specified in part 1 of this article is carried out at a level not lower than that provided for by the program of state guarantees of free provision of medical care to citizens.

6. Legislation of the Russian Federation on compulsory social insurance, including compulsory pension insurance and compulsory health insurance, applied in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol from January 1, 2015.

7. During the transition period, territorial bodies of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and the Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation, as well as territorial compulsory medical insurance funds, are created in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

Article 12. Validity of documents issued by state and other official bodies of Ukraine, state and other official bodies of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol

In the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, there are documents confirming civil status, education, ownership, right of use, the right to receive pensions, benefits, compensation and other types of social benefits, the right to receive medical care, as well as permits(licenses, except for licenses for banking operations and licenses (permits) for the activities of non-credit financial organizations), issued by state and other official bodies of Ukraine, state and other official bodies of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, state and other official bodies of the city of Sevastopol, without a time limit their actions and any confirmation from the government bodies of the Russian Federation, government bodies of the Republic of Crimea or government bodies of the federal city of Sevastopol, unless otherwise follows from the documents themselves or the essence of the relationship.

Article 13. Application in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol of the budget legislation of the Russian Federation

1. The budget legislation of the Russian Federation has been applied in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol since January 1, 2015, except for the cases provided for in part 2 of this article.

2. From the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation establishes the specifics of drawing up the draft budget of the Republic of Crimea, the budget of the federal city of Sevastopol and local budgets for 2015, as well as the execution of these budgets and the formation of budget reporting .

3. Until January 1, 2015, budget legal relations, with the exception of legal relations for the preparation of draft budgets of the Republic of Crimea, the budget of the federal city of Sevastopol and local budgets for 2015, their consideration and approval, are regulated by regulatory legal acts, respectively, of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Republic Crimea and cities with special status of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

4. Until January 1, 2015, tax and non-tax revenues provided for by the regulatory legal acts of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the city with a special status of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, respectively, shall be credited, respectively, to the budget of the Republic of Crimea, the budget federal city of Sevastopol and local budgets.

Article 14. Financial support for the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol in 2014

In 2014, the Russian Federation provides financial support to the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol in accordance with Federal Law of December 2, 2013 N2 349-FZ “On the federal budget for 2014 and for the planning period of 2015 and 2016.”

Article 15. Application of the legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. The legislation of the Russian Federation on taxes and fees is applied in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol from January 1, 2015.

2. Until January 1, 2015, in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, relations regarding the establishment, introduction and collection of taxes and fees, including the establishment tax benefits, as well as relations arising in the process of tax control, appealing acts tax authorities, actions (inaction) of their officials and bringing to responsibility for committing a tax offense are regulated by regulatory legal acts, respectively, of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the city with a special status of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

Article 16. Organization of monetary circulation in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. The monetary unit in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol is the ruble.

2. Until January 1, 2016, in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, circulation of the national currency of Ukraine - the hryvnia - and settlements in cash and non-cash forms in hryvnia are allowed.

3. In the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, from the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, transactions are carried out without fail in rubles the following types payments:

1) payment of taxes, customs and other fees, payments to state extra-budgetary funds;

2) payments to employees of budgetary organizations;

3) social benefits;

4) other payments, if one of the parties is an organization registered in another constituent entity of the Russian Federation, with the exception of payments made during banking transactions between credit institutions.

4. Other payments not provided for in Part 3 of this article are made both in rubles and in hryvnias at the choice of the payer.

5. From January 1, 2015, settlements between legal entities, as well as settlements involving individuals related to their implementation entrepreneurial activity, are made in cash in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

6. Until January 1, 2015, the exchange of hryvnia for rubles in credit institutions operating in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, as well as payments specified in part 3 of this article, are made at the official rate established by the Bank of Russia.

Article 17. Organization of banking activities in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. In the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, from the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, banking operations are carried out by banks licensed by the Bank of Russia, except for the case provided for in part 2 of this article.

2. Until January 1, 2015, in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, banks that have a license from the National Bank of Ukraine, valid as of March 16, 2014, registered and (or) carrying out banking activities in these territories, can conduct banking operations with taking into account the specifics established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. These banks may receive a license from the Bank of Russia before January 1, 2015 in the manner and under the conditions established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

3. The safety of deposits in the banks specified in part 2 of this article shall be ensured in the manner and under the conditions established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

4. From the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, the Bank of Crimea and the Bank of Sevastopol (if created) are transformed into territorial institutions of the Bank of Russia. Employees of the Bank of Crimea and employees of the Bank of Sevastopol, filling positions in them on this day, have a preferential right to fill positions in the specified territorial institutions of the Bank of Russia if they have citizenship of the Russian Federation and subject to their certification in the manner established by the Bank of Russia.

Article 18. Organization of activities of non-credit financial organizations in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. In the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, from the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation, non-credit financial organizations carry out their activities subject to the right (permission) to carry out their activities, obtained in the manner and under the conditions established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, with the exception of the case provided for in part 2 of this article.

2. Until January 1, 2015, in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, non-credit financial organizations registered in these territories and having permits to carry out such activities, issued by state and other official bodies of Ukraine and valid as of March 16, 2014, may carry out its activities taking into account the specifics established by the legislation of the Russian Federation. These organizations may receive until January 1, 2015 permission to carry out their activities in the manner and under the conditions established by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Article 19. Local self-government in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. Local self-government in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol is carried out in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on local self-government, taking into account the features established for the federal cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in accordance with the regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Crimea and the city federal significance of Sevastopol.

2. In the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, local government bodies are formed in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, respectively. Until the completion of the formation of these bodies, local self-government in these territories is carried out by local self-government bodies operating on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation.

Article 20. Notaries in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. During the transition period in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, the notary chamber of the Republic of Crimea and the notarial chamber of the federal city of Sevastopol are created in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on notaries.

2. The Federal Notary Chamber announces (brings to the public attention) the creation of the notary chamber of the Republic of Crimea and the notary chamber of the federal city of Sevastopol. From the date of announcement of the creation of these notarial chambers, the legislation of the Russian Federation is applied when performing notarial acts.

3. Until the creation of the notary chamber of the Republic of Crimea and the notary chamber of the federal city of Sevastopol, notarial acts on their territories are performed by persons authorized to do so in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine.

When performing notarial acts by these persons, the legislation of Ukraine may be applied.

4. Persons filling the positions of notaries and carrying out notarial actions in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, have a preferential right to fill the positions of notaries established in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol in the manner established by the federal executive body exercising law enforcement functions and functions of control and supervision in the field of notaries, if they have citizenship of the Russian Federation, as well as subject to their passing a qualification exam and their compliance with other requirements for notaries by the legislation of the Russian Federation on notaries.

Article 21. Bar in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. During the transition period in the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, the Bar Chamber of the Republic of Crimea and the Bar Chamber of the federal city of Sevastopol are created in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on the legal profession.

2. The Federal Chamber of Lawyers of the Russian Federation announces (brings to public attention) the creation of the Bar Chamber of the Republic of Crimea and the Bar Chamber of the federal city of Sevastopol.

3. Until the establishment of the Bar Chamber of the Republic of Crimea and the Bar Chamber of the federal city of Sevastopol, advocacy may be carried out by persons who have the status of lawyer and the right to practice law in accordance with the legislation of Ukraine or regulatory legal acts, respectively, of the Republic of Crimea or the federal city of Sevastopol.

4. Lawyers of the Republic of Crimea and lawyers of the federal city of Sevastopol carry out legal activities subject to passing an exam on knowledge of the legislation of the Russian Federation, their compliance with the requirements for lawyers by the legislation of the Russian Federation on the legal profession, and mandatory membership in the Bar Chamber of the Republic of Crimea or the Bar Chamber of the city federal significance of Sevastopol.

Article 22. Archival documents of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

Archival documents located in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol on the day of the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within the Russian Federation and which were the property of Ukraine, from that day are the property of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, respectively. The specified archival documents may be transferred to federal ownership in accordance with the legislation on archival affairs in the Russian Federation.

Article 23. Effect of legislative and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation on the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol

1. Legislative and other regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation are in force in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol from the date of admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new subjects within the Russian Federation, unless otherwise provided by this Federal Constitutional Law.

2. Regulatory legal acts of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the city with a special status of Sevastopol are valid in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol, respectively, until the end of the transition period or until the adoption of the relevant regulatory legal act of the Russian Federation and (or) regulatory legal act of the Republic of Crimea, a regulatory legal act of the Russian Federation and (or) a regulatory legal act of the federal city of Sevastopol.

3. Regulatory legal acts of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Republic of Crimea and the city with a special status of Sevastopol that contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation do not apply.

Article 24. Entry into force of this Federal Constitutional Law

This Federal Constitutional Law comes into force on the date of entry into force of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation and the formation of new entities within it.

President of the Russian Federation V. Putin