Moscow possesses strong evidence that Ukraine really prepared sabotage in the Crimea. Russia is ready to provide representatives of the Western countries with this evidence, Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said. ‘We really don’t conceal what is known, we show people who were detained, stores with weapons and munition, which were detected in the Crimea. [Elite_video_player [...]

The Crimean Republic will remain a part of the Russian Federation “forever,” the head of the region, Sergey Aksyonov, said on Monday in talks with foreign officials. “There will be no return to Ukraine. This question has been completely solved and cannot be reversed. [...]

Russia plans to deploy one of its best air defense systems, the S-400 Triumf to Crimea in August. The regiment that will protect the skies over the Black Sea peninsula from NATO's "air hooligans," as Crimea's Vice Premier Ruslan Balbek put it, will be stationed in the port town of Feodosia. The S-400 complex will become a welcome addition to Crimea's multilayered air defense structure that cont [...]

Next Monday, US Navy ships will join their Ukrainian counterparts in Black Sea naval drills dubbed Sea Breeze-2016. However, some analysts are concerned that the content of the exercises could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region. The 'Black Sea Breeze-2016' drills, taking place in southern Ukraine, are set to begin on July 18. [...]

Andreas Maurer, chairman of the Die Linke party branch in the town of Quakenbrück in Lower Saxony, became the first German politician to publicly advocate recognizing Crimea as a part of Russia. Maurer, who recently returned from his trip to the Crimean Peninsula, told Sputnik that because [...]

The Head of the Crimean regional German national-cultural autonomy of Crimea, Yury Hempel, criticized the new defense doctrine of the German authorities in which Russia is viewed as a global threat. Earlier, German newspaper Die Welt, citing governmental sources, reported that Germany's new defense doctrine, which is currently in the final stage of its preparation, will view Russia as one of th [...]

Almost uniformly, the western think tankers and media types who comment on Russia purport to be strongly concerned with freedom. After all, the central tenet of their anger with the country’s rulers is what they perceive as a lack of democracy. The usual charge goes something like this. Putin is a “dictator” who is suppressing the liberty loving Russian people and crippling their hopes and d [...]

On 8 April, 1783, Russian Empress Catherine II signed the decree “On Accession of the Crimean Peninsula, the Taman Island and the Kuban Region to the Russian Empire.” Everyone was due to maintain the document in secrecy until the integration became a fait accompli. On 28 June, 1783, the Manifesto was finally promulgated as the Crimean nobles swore allegiance to the Empress in the presence o [...]

Russia will restore a missile attack warning station near Crimea’s Sevastopol to counter increasing NATO activity in the Black Sea, Izvestia daily reported, quoting a source in the Russian defense industry. The source told reporters that the installation will be based on the Soviet-era Dnepr station (NATO code name Hen House), but that it would be thoroughly modernized. [...]

Work on the fourth and final power line to deliver electricity from mainland Russia to the Crimean peninsula has been completed. President Putin oversaw the launch of the energy bridge by video link from the Black Sea resort of Sochi. [...]

Russia’s human rights ombudsman, Tatyana Moskalkova, has invited international observers to Crimea so that they can personally see the republic’s peaceful integration into the Russian Federation and the local population’s massive support for this. Moskalkova made the statement ahead of a conference on human rights observation during the process of Crimea and Sevastopol’s accession into [...]

“One day they sell energy, the next they blow up power lines,” said Crimea's First Deputy Prime Minister Mikhail Sheremet, adding that the peninsula is done with energy supplied from Ukraine. "We have definitely decided to abandon supplies of Ukrainian electric energy. We do not need it. [...]

Natalia Poklonskaya may very well be one of the symbols of modern Crimea. Her struggle for Crimea’s reunification with Russia in the aftermath of the Euromaidan crisis in Ukraine was a heroic, selfless act. And it so happened that Russia and Crimea reunited on March 18, the same day Poklonskaya [...]

On Friday, March 18, Russia celebrates the second anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with the country. On this day exactly two years ago Crimea held a historic referendum on its status. Some 96 percent voted for the reunification with Russia. The following day Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to recognize the Crimean Republic. [...]

According to a survey organized by Sputnik.Polls, about one third of American, Dutch, British, French, German and Italian people believe Crimea is part of Russia. The Sputnik Information Agency and Radio ordered the survey, which was conducted by the Populus research firm in the United States [...]

It has now been two years since Crimea declared independence from Ukraine, with a referendum on joining Russia approved by 96% of voters. Ex-CIA official Ray McGovern told Radio Sputnik’s Brian Becker that the reunification was predetermined, taking into account Russia’s history, events in [...]

Crimean authorities are working hard to make Cannes- and Nice-bound vacationers change their mind and set their sights on the Black Sea peninsula, Russian media quoted Crimea’s top prosecutor as saying on Wednesday. Natalya Poklonskaya said that she couldn’t care less about the western [...]

Crimea's authorities are ready to assist Limp Bizkit's vocalist Fred Durst finding somewhere to stay on the peninsula, according to Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Crimea Dmitry Polonsky. Earlier Durst expressed his desire to own a house in Crimea, and also said that he "wouldn't mind getting a Russian passport." [...]

A survey ordered by Vladimir Putin shows Crimea residents would rather break an electricity contract with Kiev, than sign one calling the peninsula part of Ukraine – even if it means further blackouts that began when a pylon bearing power lines was blown up. [...]

Germany's foreign ministry said that it considers the blackout of Crimea by extremist groups a criminal act. The blackout in Russia's Crimea peninsula is a criminal act that must be investigated, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday. The Crimean blackout began on Sunday, after Ukrainian extremist groups blew up power line pylons on the Ukrainian side of the border. [...]

The Ukrainian government has suspended the movement of cargo between Crimea and Ukraine, citing an initiative put forward by PM Arseny Yatsenyuk. The suspension will be active until a list of goods allowed to be delivered to the peninsula is compiled. The decision was preceded by a request from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday which wanted to look into the possibility of a tempora [...]

On Saturday, Ukrainian police said that power lines in southern Ukraine supplying the Crimean peninsula with electricity were blown up by activists from the group which launched the unsuccessful, Kiev-sanctioned 'food blockade' of the peninsula in September. Sputnik brings you up to speed on the energy blockade and its potential consequences. [...]