TCUP in Ukraine: Crimea Platform

Following Ukraine’s independence in 1991, Crimea became an Autonomous Republic of Ukraine. It had its own Parliament and made its own laws, but the territory was part of Ukraine. In 2014, following the Euromaidan uprising and the ousting of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, Russian armed forces occupied Crimea. In March 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a referendum that asked residents if they wanted the territory to be part of the Russian Federation; that vote resulted in the official Russian annexation of Crimea. However, before the referendum, many Crimean residents—particularly Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians—left the peninsula for mainland Ukraine, and those who remained were prevented from voting or boycotted the referendum.

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