In 2014, Ukraine’s pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted following a popular uprising. Fearing the loss of its influence over Ukraine, Moscow sent troops into Crimea. A puppet government was installed, led by Sergey Aksyonov, the head of a minor pro-Russian party, who immediately called for the peninsula’s annexation by Russia.
A few days later, under military occupation and in an atmosphere of fear, a sham referendum was held with no international observers. The results, widely manipulated, claimed that 96.8% of voters supported joining Russia. This political spectacle was swiftly condemned by the UN, the European Union, and the United States, which never recognized the so-called vote and imposed sanctions on Crimean and Russian officials involved—freezing assets, issuing travel bans, and enforcing economic restrictions.
On March 18, 2014, Vladimir Putin signed the decree formalizing Crimea’s occupation, in blatant violation of international law.
From the moment of annexation, dissenters were hunted down, Crimean Tatars were persecuted, and independent media outlets were shut down. Forced disappearances, arbitrary imprisonments, and relentless propaganda became the norm. In Russian-controlled territories, the systematic deprivation of fundamental freedoms is a reality.
Since then, Russia has continued its expansionist agenda—first in the Donbas, and later, in 2022, by launching a full-scale war against Ukraine.
Crimea is and will remain Ukrainian. We cannot abandon millions of people to Russian atrocities in the occupied territories.
