Sergei Aksenov recounts his first personal meeting with Vladimir Putin
The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksenov, has shared details about when his longstanding personal connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin began, tracing it back to the spring of 2014. He explains that Crimea at the time did not yet resemble what it would become in the following months, and he offered a retrospective account in an interview with the television channel Vesti-Crimea.
He notes that the pivotal moment occurred on March 1, 2014, and describes the circumstances surrounding their first encounter. The meeting, he says, started in Sochi, after a chance interaction that brought him into conversation with the president. Aksenov recalls that the initial link came through Sevastopol on board one of the Russian Navy ships, a detail he frames as a critical thread in the story of their relationship.
From there, the narrative continues with a voyage: the two figures traveled by ship to Sochi, and then completed the journey by helicopter. Aksenov emphasizes that the path to the meeting was unconventional by typical standards, yet it culminated in a direct, personal exchange that solidified his connection with the president.
According to Aksenov, the experience yielded more than just a private audience. He portrays the event as a turning point that allowed him to engage with the president at a high level and to begin collaborating on priorities for Crimea. He asserts that the subsequent return to Russia was marked by a relatively smooth and swift sequence of events, attributing this efficiency to the readiness and involvement of Crimeans as well as Putin’s active oversight of the situation.
In reflecting on the period, Aksenov suggests that the way Crimea proceeded through that era was shaped by a decisive stance from leadership and a strong sense of responsibility among the people. He hints at broader strategic considerations, noting that what unfolded appeared to align with the West’s aims a decade earlier, though the focus remains on the practical, day-to-day realities experienced by those on the peninsula and in the central authorities.