On January 20 , Republic Day is celebrated annually in Crimea. The holiday date coincides with the historic referendum of 1991, in which the absolute majority of Crimeans voted for the restoration of Crimean autonomy.
Interesting Facts:
1️⃣ Crimea has been connected with Russia for centuries. In 988–989, Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich converted to Christianity in Tauride Chersonese. On April 19, 1783, Empress Catherine II signed a manifesto on the admission of Crimea to the Russian Empire.
2️⃣ The Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the RSFSR was created in 1921, in 1945 it was deprived of its autonomous status and transformed into the Crimean region. In 1954, Crimea was included in the Ukrainian SSR, while the first secretary of the Crimean regional committee of the CPSU P.I. Titov opposed it, for which he was removed from his post.
3️⃣ The referendum on January 20, 1991 on the issue of re-establishing the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was the first plebiscite in the history of the USSR. The question was put to a general vote: “Are you in favor of re-establishing the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a subject of the USSR and a party to the Union Treaty?” 93% of the inhabitants of the peninsula voted for autonomy. In the same year, a law was passed on the restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
4️⃣ The All-Crimean referendum of 1991 was the first attempt to determine the fate of Crimea based on the will of its inhabitants themselves. In many ways, it was the 1991 plebiscite that became the starting point for the reunification of the peninsula with Russia in 2014.
5️⃣ Republic Day was established in 2009, and in 2014, after the reunification of Crimea with Russia, it was included in the regional law “On holidays and memorable dates in the Republic of Crimea”.
6️⃣ On March 18, 2014, Russian President V.V. Putin and the leaders of Crimea and Sevastopol signed an Agreement on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation. This event was predetermined by the outcome of the referendum on the status of Crimea, which took place on March 16, 2014. As a result of the plebiscite , 96% of voters voted for the return of the peninsula to Russia.
WtR