Republic of Crimea became part of the Russian Federation

Today, on March 18, an agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on its becoming part of the Russian Federation and the formation new subjects of the Russian Federation is signed in Moscow. The document bears the signature of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the President of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea Vladimir Konstantinov, the Crimea’s Prime-Minister Sergey Aksyonov and the Chairman of the Sevastopol City Coordination Council Alexey Chaly.

The agreement is based on the freely expressed will of the Crimea’s peoples and voluntary referendum held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol on March 16, 2014, during which the people of Crimea decided to reunite with Russia.

The Republic of Crimea is considered to be adopted as part of the Russian Federation since the signing of the agreement. New subjects are formed since that moment – the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

Signing of the agreement was preceded by the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s address to the State Duma deputies, members of the Federation Council, the Russian regional leaders and representatives of civil society.