Crimea, autonomous republic, southern ukraine. It has been 11 years since russia took control of crimea but moscow's invasion of ukraine has put the peninsula back in the global spotlight. After ukrainian independence in 1991, most of the peninsula was reorganised as the autonomous republic of crimea.
The soviet fleet in crimea was in contention, but a 1997 treaty allowed. Crimea’s unique location makes it a strategically important asset, and russia has spent centuries fighting for it. Why is crimea important to ukraine and russia?
A key hub in the black sea with substantial port infrastructure, crimea is critical for military and trade dominance in the region. Crimea, which juts out into the black sea off southern ukraine, was absorbed into the russian empire along with most ethnic ukrainian territory by catherine the great in the. While putin says crimea has always been russian, the peninsula has changed hands over the centuries, having been variously administered by the russian empire, warring. Soviet leader nikita khrushchev transferred crimea from russia to ukraine in 1954, when both were part of the ussr, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the.
Here's what you need to know. The republic is coterminous with the crimean peninsula, lying between the black sea and the sea of azov.