March 1 On March 1, 2014 the de facto Crimean Prime Minister
Sergey Aksyonov appealed directly to Russian President
Vladimir Putin in a signed statement calling for Russia to "provide assistance in ensuring peace and tranquility on the territory" of Crimea. Meanwhile, Aksyonov took control of "security [in Crimea] on a temporary basis", he said. All commanders are to obey his orders or "resign". On March 1, the interim president of Ukraine, Turchynov, signed a decree declaring the appointment of Sergei Aksyonov as the head of the government of Crimea to be unconstitutional. Russian President Vladimir Putin formally asked the
Federation Council for permission to "use the armed forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine until the normalization of the socio-political situation in that country." Hours later, the Federation Council voted unanimously to grant permission. The Consulate of the Russian Federation in Simferopol started to issue Russian passports to residents of Ukraine. Members of the former Ukrainian riot police,
Berkut, were among the first in Crimea to be granted Russian citizenship. as was the
Ukrainian Sea Guard. reportedly on the orders of members of the Supreme Council. Ukrainian media reported that decisions to replace the government and hold a referendum in Crimea were falsified. According to
Damon Wilson, vice president of the
Atlantic Council, the
United States Congress was "considering authorizing [a] defense arms package to Ukraine".
March 2 On March 2, 2014 a Ukrainian marine infantry detachment stationed around
Feodosiya was surrounded by armed men demanding surrender by 9:00AM EET. In
Sudak, radar station personnel were forced to give up their arms. The Ukrainian Navy building in Sevastopol was under siege and land-based assault by the Russian Army according to
Ukrainska Pravda. On March 2, acting President Olexander Turchynov ordered all Ukrainian military reservists to be called up. At a Ukrainian military base near the village of
Perevalne, there is an ongoing standoff between a handful of
Ukrainian marines loyal to Kyiv and the surrounding Russian/Crimean forces. The newly appointed chief of the
Ukrainian Navy,
Denis Berezovsky, in televised statement announced that he refuses to follow orders from the self-declared government in Kyiv and declared loyalty to Crimean authorities and people. He was replaced by
Serhiy Hayduk. The same day in Sevastopol, the crew of the command ship
Slavutych thwarted an attempt to hijack the vessel by a boat carrying unidentified armed personnel. The government of Crimea announced the formation of its own Defence Ministry. Ukrainian oligarchs, including
Igor Kolomoisky and
Serhiy Taruta (partner of
Rinat Akhmetov), throw weight behind revolutionary government in Kyiv; get appointments as governors of eastern provinces. The head of the Security Service of Crimea
Petyor Zima, Chief of Department of Internal Affairs in the Crimea
Sergey Abisov, the head of Service for Emergency Situations
Sergei Shakhov and acting Chief of the Border Guards of Crimea
Victor Melnichenko each took an oath of allegiance to the people of the so-called "Putin-backed" Crimea. The ceremony took place in the Council of Ministers chamber in the presence of regional government officials, mayors of different cities and regions.
March 3 According to Interfax news agency quoted a source in the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Ukrainian troops stationed in Crimea were urged to surrender by March 3 at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) or face an armed confrontation via an ultimatum issued by Alexander Vitko, the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The ministry did not immediately confirm the report and there was no immediate comment by the Black Sea Fleet. This ultimatum was denied by Russian officials. On the same day, Russian soldiers seized a
Kerch Strait ferry terminal in the city of
Kerch, the easternmost point of Crimea. Crimea's State Television and Radio Transmitting Center forced the independent broadcaster Chernomorskaya Teleradiokompaniya (Black Sea TV) off the air. Chernomorskaya Teleradiokompaniya, which has covered the political tension in the region, was one of two local broadcasters available to Crimean residents.
March 4 On March 4, Putin ended the military exercises and pulled troops back from Ukrainian borders. Putin stated in a press conference that the soldiers occupying military bases were not Russian soldiers, but local forces of self-defence. He said that there was no need to send forces into Ukraine at the time being, but that Russia reserved the right to use "all means" as a last resort to threats of anarchy. There was a confrontation at the
Belbek Airbase (at the
Belbek Airport) between the guarding Russian/Crimean forces—and unarmed Ukrainian soldiers who had surrendered the base the previous day.—lasting some hours. Around 200 unarmed Ukrainian soldiers of the
240th Tactical Air Brigade The same day, the
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informed that unknown persons took hostage Ukrainian
Colonel General Mykhailo Koval. One witness claims that he was taken by Russian bikers who attacked the personal car of Koval in
Yalta. Unknown gunmen took hostage the UN special envoy to Ukraine
Robert Serry in
Simferopol. U.N. Deputy Secretary General
Jan Eliasson said Robert Serry had been threatened but had not been kidnapped. Serry is expected to continue his work in Kyiv due to situation in
Crimea. The Shevchenko district court of
Kyiv, meanwhile, ruled on the detention of the self-proclaimed leaders
Sergei Aksyonov and
Volodymyr Konstantinov. The
Security Service of Ukraine was charged to bring them to court. Three deputies of the
Batkivshchyna party submitted a bill in the
Verkhovna Rada on March 5 that would abolish the country's
official neutrality, and make "Euro-Atlantic integration and
NATO membership" a foreign policy priority for Ukraine. On March 5, a wiretapped telephone conversation was leaked on
YouTube of
Estonian Foreign Minister
Urmas Paet and European Union foreign affairs chief
Catherine Ashton discussing the issue of sniper-rifle fire during the
2014 Ukrainian revolution. Speaking about a doctor named Olga who was on the scene, Paet told Ashton, "The same Olga told that, well, all the evidence shows that people who were killed by snipers from both sides among policemen and then people from the street [
sic]. So that there is now stronger and stronger understanding that behind the snipers it was not
Yanukovich, but it was somebody from the new coalition."
March 6 The Supreme Council of Crimea voted on 6 March to formally re-accede as part of the Russian Federation after 60 years of being part of the Ukrainian state. The Supreme Council's decision will be put to the Crimean people via referendum if the request is granted by Russia. The previously announced
referendum scheduled for 30 March, will be moved up to 16 March 2014, and its question will be altered to reflect the Supreme Council's 6 March vote of accepting full accession. According to Council member Pilunsky the decision was taken without meeting the quorum. Armed men seized the Simferopol Radio and Television Transmitting Station, and discontinued the broadcast of Kyiv-based
Channel 5 and
1+1 television channels, replacing their frequencies with the Moscow-based
Rossiya 24 news channel. On March 6 Russian sailors scuttled the decommissioned cruiser
Ochakov at the entrance to
Donuzlav Bay in western Crimea as a
blockship, in an attempt to prevent Ukrainian navy ships from gaining access to the Black Sea. Crimean Tatars report that their homes are marked with X by unidentified gangs. A mission of observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been stopped from entering Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula by unidentified men in military fatigues for the third time.
March 7 According to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service Russia raised the number of their soldiers in Crimea to 30,000. Two journalists were beaten while taking photos outside the missile defence base A2355 outside the Crimean city of Sevastopol. A Bulgarian media team of two were beaten in Simferopol. Armed men confiscated the equipment of the Associated Press team in Simferopol. Another blockship, the former Black Sea Fleet rescue/diving support vessel
BM-416 (VM-416) was scuttled near the
Ochakov. PACE's Standing Committee expressed its full support for the territorial integrity and national unity of Ukraine. Ukraine decided not to boycott the Paralympic games as long as Russia did not start a war. During the opening only Ukrainian athlete Mykailo Tkachenko of 31 Ukrainian Paralympians attended the ceremony parade in protest at Russia's incursion into Crimea.
March 8 The Russian military entered the territory of
Chonhar village in
Henichesk Raion of
Kherson Oblast and blocked the second entrance to Crimea. The Border Guard Service Department Sholkino was taken over by Russian forces. The personnel and their families had to leave the post and the apartments. A border guard plane flying over Crimea was attacked with firearms.
March 9 At Massandra a mobile, rapid reaction border guard post has been unblocked after several days of occupation. Head of Euromaidan — Krym Andriy Shchekun has been kidnapped in Simferopol. More than 200 scholars of Ukrainian and Russian affairs have undersigned an appeal for a peaceful, sustainable, and fair resolution to the current conflict.
March 10 Two Ukrainian journalists (Olena Maksymenko and Oles Kromplyas) disappeared and are feared kidnapped at the border to Crimea. Several hundred residents of Crimea, mainly Crimean Tatars, have left Crimea for security reasons according to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Russian forces have seized the main military hospital in Simferopol. Prominent Russian dissident
Mikhail Khodorkovsky said that Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broader autonomy. Posters and leaflets campaigning for the referendum do not show who is behind.
March 11 A joint resolution is adopted by the Supreme Council of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council where they express their intention to self-declare themselves independent in the event of a Yes vote in a referendum to join the region to Russia, that was to be held on March 16. The Crimean Government made clear that they did not officially invite the OSCE to observe the referendum. The OSCE chair, Switzerland's Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, declared the referendum as illegal and because of that the OSCE will not send observers. Unidentified forces started controlling passport and luggages of domestic travellers at the Simferopol railway station. Russian forces took over the control tower at Simferopol International Airport and closed Crimean airspace until the end of week. Ukraine International Airlines flight PS 65 had to return to Kyiv shortly before landing. Party of Regions MP
Yuriy Miroshnychenko urged the Crimean government to stop the referendum. Another Party of Regions MP, Hanna Herman, commented the same day about Yanukovych's press conference, "He needs to ... prevent the illegal referendum". On the same day, US National Security Advisor
Susan Rice emphasized LGBT rights as part of the US government's "bedrock commitment to advancing human rights and human dignity" before a gathering of top US diplomats at the State Department. Rice's speech omitted any reference to Crimea and mentioned Russia only once in passing. Ukraine was mentioned twice. This overemphasis on LGBT rights, just five days before the Crimean referendum, was subsequently panned as a possible reason why the US responded ineptly to Crimea's annexation.
March 12 A set of press regulations was issued by the Crimean parliament concerning the referendum on March 16, stating, among other things, that authorized journalists covering the elections are obliged "not to spread material with negative content" The multinational
OSCE observation mission published a report about their observations while trying to enter Crimea. Their entrance was refused at gunpoint. Their observation "produced significant evidence of equipment consistent with the presence of Russian Federation military personnel in the vicinity of the various roadblocks encountered". The
UN Human Rights Envoy
Ivan Šimonović had to cancel his trip to Crimea as the current situation does not permit his travel. He intended to observe the human rights situation which was Russia's explanation for its engagement in Crimea. The
European Parliament rejected the upcoming referendum on independence in Crimea, which they saw as manipulated and contrary to international and Ukrainian law.
Group of 7 world leaders said that they would not recognize the results of a referendum for Ukraine's Crimea region. The leaders called on Russia to "immediately" halt actions supporting the referendum on Crimea regarding its status.
March 13 Russia has voiced support for the deployment of an OSCE monitoring mission in Ukraine, including Crimea, the chairman of the European security group said on Thursday, calling this a possible "big step forward." The
National Guard of Ukraine is reconstituted, on the basis of a law passed the previous day (
Law of Ukraine "On the National Guard of Ukraine" dated March 12, 2014).
Note: The legislation reforming the National Guard was signed into law on this date by the
acting president, but not returned to the parliament until the next day (14 March). The
Russian Armed Forces announced a new set of sudden military exercises in the border regions of
Rostov,
Belgorod, and
Kursk on 13 March, involving "artillery batteries, assault helicopters, and at least 10,000 soldiers". Amateur footage has shown columns of trucks and armored vehicles amassing at the border town of
Lopan, just 30 miles outside of
Kharkiv.
Rostec, a Russian-state arms agency, announced that it had intercepted a
surveillance drone flying over the skies of Crimea on 14 March, which belonged to the
Bavaria-based
66th Military Intelligence Brigade of the
United States Army. It disabled the drone "with the help of the EW (
electronic warfare) complex
Avtobaza," and as a result, "the device made an emergency landing and passed into the possession of the [Crimean] self-defense forces almost unbroken." The company further claimed that this is the second U.S. drone to be intercepted over Crimea since the crisis began.
The Pentagon subsequently denied Rostec's claims, saying that "there is zero truth" to the reports.
March 15 protesting Russia's annexation of Crimea. A day before the Crimean referendum, tens of thousands of Russian demonstrators held
anti-war protests in Moscow opposing Russian military intervention in Ukraine. It was the largest protest in Russia since the
2011–13 Russian protests.
March 16 Crimeans vote in a referendum to rejoin Russia or return to its status under the 1992 constitution. On March 16, 2014, Crimean news agencies are now reporting that the official results of the referendum are in, and the region overwhelmingly voted to re-join Russia. Some 95.5% of voters in Crimea have supported joining Russia, officials say. Election officials said the turnout was a record high, beating the numbers who vote in local elections.
March 17 On March 17, the
Crimean parliament officially declared its independence from
Ukraine and requested full accession to the
Russian Federation, thus ending Crimea's 60 years as a Ukrainian territory. Obama declared sanctions on 11 Ukrainian and Russian officials considered responsible for the crisis. Markets surged as investor worries faded after the referendum passed without violence. The
Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by nearly 1%.
Abkhazia,
Nagorno-Karabakh,
Russia, and
South Ossetia officially
recognize the independence of Crimea. The dead body of Reşat Ametovyaky, an ethnic Crimean Tartar, was found in the Belogorskiy Region of Crimea. He disappeared on his way to the recruitment office on March 3 after the announcement of partial military mobilization in Ukraine and is believed to have been abducted. He was found dead with signs of torture; his hands were handcuffed and his head was covered in duct tape.
March 18 The Treaty on Accession of the Republic of Crimea to Russia is signed, formally joining the
self-declared independent Republic of Crimea to the
Russian Federation as two federal subjects - the
Republic of Crimea and the federal city of
Sevastopol. One Ukrainian soldier and one pro-Russian demonstrator were killed in the Simferopol Incident. Crimean Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliyev said in an interview with RIA Novosti the new government in Crimea wants to regularize the land unofficially taken over by Crimean Tatar squatters following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He said part of the land was required for social needs but the Government of Crimea was ready to allocate and legalize many other plots of land to ensure a normal life for the Crimean Tatars. He also emphasized that members of the Tatar community could receive senior political positions in the new government, in a move to ease ethnic tensions in the region. President of Russia Vladimir Putin addressed State Duma deputies, Federation Council members, heads of Russian regions and civil society representatives in the Kremlin, calling for the creation of "two new constituent entities within the Russian Federation: the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol".
March 19 Russian soldiers storm Ukrainian military bases in Crimea. At Sevastopol, a tug from the Black Sea Fleet attacked and damaged the Ukrainian corvette
Ternopil by launching grenades at the ship while circling around.
March 20 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passes a resolution to adopt a bill on "territorial integrity of the Ukrainian people", which overlooks the status of granting Ukrainian visas to certain Russian citizens, notably those living in Eastern Ukraine and having strong ties with Russia. Many Russian politicians respond to the resolution as "Yatseniyk and Turchynov trying to prevent the breakaway of more Ukrainian regions into Russia, such as Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia". Another statement is made by Turchynov regarding Crimean tatars, in which the incumbent President says that Ukraine will try to reinforce the rights of Tatars living in Crimea, which so far have been long neglected. The Ukrainian corvettes
Khmelnytskyi and
Lutsk were boarded and seized by Russian forces at Streletska Bay. At evening, 15-20 Russian special troops from a Russian navy tug stormed the already damaged corvette
Ternopil at Sevastopol and captured her using stun grenades and automatic fire.
March 21 After the
Federation Council approved on final reading the treaty of accession of the Crimea to the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin ratifies the inclusion of two new areas into the Russian Federation: the Republic of Crimea and the City of Federal Importance of Sevastopol. The
Crimean Federal District is created with Oleg Belaventsev being appointed as its Presidential Envoy. At the same time Ukraine withdraws military troops from certain previously guarded areas in the Crimea and boycotts the right to travel to Simferopol for some of its airlines. At Sevastopol, Russian warships surrounded the Ukrainian submarine
Zaporizhzhia, and attacked her with grenades. The submarine was later seized by Russian personnel. At Donuzlav Bay, the Ukrainian minesweeper
Cherkasy made a fruitless attempt to negotiate the scuttled vessels and gain access to open sea; after the failure, she and the landing ship
Konstantin Olshansky dropped anchor and adopted a defensive formation.
March 22 Russian forces storm two Ukrainian air bases in Crimea. At 4:00 PM local time, Ukrainian border patrol guards seal off the northern entrance from Crimea. The same evening, Sergey Aksyonov addressed the citizens of Southern and Eastern Ukraine via a YouTube video, in which he urged the population of fend off "the banderians" (referring to the Right Sector Party, which has the teachings and works of
Stepan Bandera as part of its ideology and traditions) and to protect their lands from attacks from them that may arise. Outside these parts, the video was seen as an attempt by Crimea to trigger further revolts in these regions against the Kyiv government, so that further separation may ensue. Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev spoke on Russia Today about the nullification of the documents signed in 2010 concerning Russian gas supply through Crimea, basing his country's decision on the fact that Crimea is now a part of Russia. Medvedev then denied the change of Russian stance towards its pacts with Ukraine, only speculating that Russia has 'amended' some of the signed documents in order to remove "Crimea" from the lists.
March 23 About 30% of Crimea and almost half of Simferopol dwellings and buildings met a power outage as Ukrainian electric company UkrEnergo shut off its supply of electricity to those regions. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko described the blackout as "ridiculous" and urged for both nations to remember their Slavic roots, as does Belarus. So far 189 out of roughly 4000 Ukrainian military outposts personnel located in Crimea joined the Russian forces in the area post-accession. The 13th Outpost, located in Feodosiya, became famous for its marginal resistance to the Russian forces and repetitive denial to give up. The speaker of Crimean Tatar people warned the Russian government that should their national integrity be compromised (as is the case with Ukraine), they will form an insurgency movement and will "defend" the lands they live on. Russia did not respond to the warning in any way. At Donuzlav Bay, the Ukrainian minesweeper
Cherkasy made a second ill-fated attempt to pass over the scuttled ships at the bay's entrance. At night, the Russian navy scuttled a fifth ship at the mouth of the bay.
March 24 Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States voted to suspend Russia from the
Group of 8.
Gregor Gysi, chairman of the German "Left" Party, has expressed his discontent with this decision (which was primarily brought by Angela Merkel) and responded by giving the February coup in Ukraine as example of what would be "not less unconstitutional" than the Crimean referendum. "The fascists who came to power in Ukraine, have their own understanding of what is constitutional, and the small percent of democrats sitting in the Rada cannot seem to influence it", he said. A tug carrying Russian forces boarded and seized the amphibious ship
Konstantin Olshansky at Donuzlav Bay. Ukrainian sources claim that 200 troops assaulted the vessel with the use of automatic weapons and stun grenades. The Ukrainian ship was crewed by 20 crewmembers at the time, who laid up a smokescreen. Ukrainian sources report that the crew disabled the electronics and the engines of the vessel beyond repair before surrender.
March 25 Russia awards a medal to former Ukrainians who assisted in the annexation of Crimea. Controversy erupts over the reverse of the medallion, which dates "the return of Crimea" as February 20 — March 18. This implies that Russia was awarding those involved with the
February 20 killing of Maidan protesters. After a two-hour engagement, the Ukrainian minesweeper
Cherkasy, the last warship waving the Ukrainian ensign in Crimea was disabled with explosive charges and captured at Donuzlav Bay by the ocean-going tug
Kovel, three speedboats, and two
Mi-35 helicopters. There were no casualties, but the vessel's rudder was crippled by the explosion of a grenade. A bloodless exchange of small arms fire was reported; the Ukrainian crew was allowed to hoist the Ukrainian flag and stay aboard until their evacuation on 26 March.
March 26 Russian commander-in-chief general
Valery Gerasimov told the press that all military facilities around Crimea were under control of Russian forces, and all military personnel who expressed loyalty to Ukraine was being evacuated from the peninsula.
March 27 The
UN General Assembly approved a resolution describing the Crimean referendum on 16 March as illegal. One hundred countries voted in favour of approving a UN General Assembly resolution declaring the Crimean referendum illegal and affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity. Eleven nations voted against, with 58 abstentions.
March 28 Russian state media agency
ITAR-TASS reported that the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the Ukrainian Embassy in
Moscow to inform it of Russia's unilateral termination of a number of
Black Sea Fleet agreements, as well as Russia's willingness to repatriate Ukrainian military equipment left in
Crimea.
March 29 Crimea and Sevastopol switched to
Moscow Time at 22:00 (10:00 PM)
Eastern European Time. == Aftermath ==