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Crimea and Sevastopol

Russia celebrates first anniversary of reunification with Crimea

March 18 was officially recognized in Crimea as Day of the reunification of Crimea with Russia

© Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

SIMFEROPOL, March 18. /TASS/. The first anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia has been celebrated in Russia nationwide - from Kamchatka in the Russian Far East to Smolensk and Kaliningrad in the west of Russia.

"For Crimea it is a long anticipated holiday of homecoming," head of the administration of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov said in a message of greetings to compatriots. "Russia has defended our legitimate right to self-determination, to unity with our historic Motherland," he said.

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March 18 was officially recognized in Crimea as Day of the reunification of Crimea with Russia. On Wednesday, gala events will be held in Simferopol, Yalta,Yevpatoria, Feodosia and other cities. The gala celebrations will be crowned with a big concert which will be held in the capital of Crimea on Wednesday night.

Exactly on the same day a year ago Vladimir Putin made a state of the nation address, speaking to the Federal Assembly; the president notified society about the proposals made by the parliaments of Crimea and Sevastopol to reunify Crimea with the Russian Federation. Then, the Russian president, Speaker of the State Council of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov, Chairman of the government of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov and Sevastopol Mayor Alexei Chaly put their signatures under a treaty on Crimea's accession to the Russian Federation.

Two new members - the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which has a status of federal importance, were created within the Russian Federation. Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean-Tatar languages were recognized state languages spoken in the Republic of Crimea. Crimea's land border, which adjoins the territory of Ukraine, became a state border of the Russian Federation. The demarcation of the sea space in the Black Sea and in the Sea of Azov has been made on the basis of Russia's international agreements and the norms of international law.

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One year on from Crimea’s reunification with Russia

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Crimea and Sevastopol

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