Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the occupied territories of Ukraine, the Crimean Peninsula, for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded that Putin is looking for international justice, and the "accession" of Crimea was illegal.
This is stated in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Putin himself came to Crimea on March 18 with an unannounced visit. He visited Sevastopol. The so-called governor of Sevastopol, Mykhailo Razvozhaev, said that a meeting was allegedly planned with Putin via video link, but the Russian president arrived in person. This is the first time since February 24, 2022 that Putin is visiting the occupied territories of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine emphasized that on March 16, 9 years have passed since the illegal "referendum" was held in Crimea, and on March 18 — since the annexation.
"For nine years in a row, the Crimean peninsula has been suffering from the Kremlinʼs criminal regime, which has turned it into a military outpost, a zone of lack of freedom and oppression, aggression and terror against everything and everyone who found the courage to resist and defend their democratic rights and values." noted there.
- On March 16, 2014, a so-called referendum on the status of the peninsula, not recognized by the international community, took place on the territory of the Ukrainian Crimea. On March 18, 2014, Russian President Putin single-handedly announced the "inclusion of Crimea into the Russian Federation" by annexing Ukrainian territory.
- Ukraine, the European Union, the United States, and no other civilized country recognized the results of this "referendum" and imposed sanctions against Russia.