DISINFO: Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join Russia following Maidan
SUMMARY
Crimea is an integral part of Russia and its return to Ukraine is impossible. After the February 2014 coup in Ukraine, the Crimean authorities held a referendum on reunification with Russia. The majority of voters approved the idea (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol), with voter turnout reaching 80%.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the illegal annexation of Crimea and about a coup in Kyiv.
In 2014, there was no coup d'état, nor a western orchestrated protest in Ukraine. Crimea is a part of Ukraine and was illegally annexed by Russia.
Crimea is an internationally recognised part of Ukraine. Іn 1997, by signing the Friendship Agreement with Ukraine, Russia also recognised that Crimea belongs to Ukraine.
Pro-Kremlin outlets falsely portray the Euromaidan revolution as a coup d’état. The popular demonstrations began in Kyiv in November of 2013 and brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the streets to protest against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government, which at the last minute withdrew from a long-negotiated political association and free trade pact with the EU, choosing instead to accept a $15 billion economic bailout to Russia.
The protesters' demands included constitutional reform, a stronger role for parliament, the formation of a government of national unity, an end to corruption, early presidential elections and an end to violence. Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula in 2014, and illegally annexed it via a sham referendum.
In 2014, Russian troops obliged the parliament of Crimea to organise a so-called referendum, which was illegitimate under international law, and then formally annexed the peninsula and brought it under Russian territorial control.
No international body recognises the so-called referendum in 2014. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Read also similar cases claiming that Crimea rejoined Russia as a result of a popular referendum, that Ukraine, the USA and EU recognised the reunification of Crimea with Russia, that Crimea voted to secede after the coup in Kyiv and that Turkey considers Crimea part of Ukraine, despite the referendum that has established the opposite.