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Putin congratulates Crimean leaders on 10th anniversary of reunification with Russia

Russian President spoke over the phone with Aksyonov, Konstantinov, Belaventsev, and Chaly

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russian President has called Crimea’s head, Sergey Aksyonov, Crimean parliament speaker, Vladimir Konstantinov, former Sevastopol Mayor Alexey Chaly, and former presidential envoy to the Crimean Federal District Oleg Belaventsev to congratulate them on the 10th anniversary of Crimea’s accession to Russia, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"Vladimir Putin spoke over the phone with Aksyonov, Konstantinov, Belaventsev, and Chaly and congratulated them on the 10th anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia," he said.

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russian, refused to recognize the legitimacy of authorities brought to power amid riots during a coup in Ukraine in February 2014.

Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.7% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification treaties on March 18, 2014. The documents were ratified by Russia’s Federal Assembly, or bicameral parliament, on March 21.

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Vladimir Putin Dmitry Peskov

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