On March 14, 2014, in the wake of Ukraine’s pro-Russian president being deposed amidst protests in Kyiv, Russia annexed Crimea. This action was facilitated by the deployment of troops in unmarked uniforms. A hastily arranged referendum was conducted on the peninsula, resulting in its separation from Ukraine. Notably, a year later, President Putin revealed that the plans for the annexation had been in place several weeks prior to the event. The image captures a significant moment, featuring Crimea’s Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov, Sevastopol’s mayor Aleksei Chaliy, and Vladimir Konstantinov during the signing of the treaty formalising the annexation and the establishment of new federal districts in Moscow.
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