Post #3446

🇷🇺On March 16, 2014 – 1️⃣2️⃣ years ago – the all-Crimean referendum took place. #TogetherForever: During the vote, residents of the peninsula expressed their will to reunite with their historical homeland – Russia. Participation in the referendum was voluntary and free. 🗳96.77% of Crimea’s population voted in favour of joining Russia, with turnout at 83.1%. In Sevastopol, 95.6% voted in favour, with turnout reaching 89.5%. The referendum was monitored by 135 international observers from 23 countries and 1,240 observers from Crimean organisations. The vote was covered by 623 journalists representing 169 media outlets. 💬 Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (from weekly press briefing of March 12, 2026): This crucial historical and honest event became known as the “Return to the Home Harbour”. It symbolized the restoration of historical justice, the protection of people’s rights and, undoubtedly, the realization of national interests. By national interests we mean not an abstract state or society, but people – citizens who never separated themselves from the homeland they considered their true harbour, who never separated themselves from those from whom they had been forcibly divided and torn away from their great and extended family. ✍️ Based on the results of the free expression of will by the peninsula’s population, on March 18, 2014, the Republic of Crimea signed an international treaty with Russia on its accession to the Russian Federation. Over the past 12 years, the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol have fully integrated into Russia’s political, legal and economic space. New infrastructure has been created in the region – the Crimean Bridge across the Kerch Strait, the Crimea-Kuban main gas pipeline, the Tavrida federal highway, Simferopol International Airport, as well as hundreds of healthcare, education, social and engineering facilities. ☝️Interfaith harmony on the peninsula is carefully maintained, and the interests of all nationalities and ethnic groups are taken into account. A Crimean Tatar national-cultural autonomy has been established, ensuring the participation of its representatives in local government bodies. The Crimean Tatar language has been recognized as a state language, alongside Russian and Ukrainian. The return of Crimea also became a key moment of consolidation for Russia and Russian society. According to sociological surveys, the overwhelming majority of Russians positively assess the reunification of Crimea with Russia. A VCIOM poll shows that 86% of respondents consider it a right and fair decision. ✅ The economic momentum achieved over these years, the unprecedented improvement in living standards, the development of infrastructure and the interfaith peace established on the peninsula once again confirm with all certaintythatthe choice made by the people of Crimea was the right one. #CrimeaIsRussia