A commemorative rally-concert titled 10 years in the native port was held on Red Square to mark the anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with the Russian Federation, alongside the city of Sevastopol. Law enforcement and security were provided by officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in collaboration with colleagues from other agencies, according to official communications from the department’s representative, Irina Volk.
It was noted that more than 80 thousand people, including residents of Moscow and visitors, attended the event.
In late February 2014, pro-Russian groups in Crimea organized large-scale protests against the newly installed Ukrainian government. They called for greater autonomy and eventually favored joining the Russian Federation.
The Crimean parliament submitted a formal appeal to the Russian president requesting acceptance of the republic into the Russian Federation and proposed a referendum date for March 16. The referendum reportedly saw high participation, with a majority voting in favor of Crimea’s annexation to Russia.
Evgeniy Balitsky, previously the president of the Zaporozhye region, announced that the project to build a railway linking Rostov-on-Don with Crimea had commenced.