Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, following a contentious referendum in which the vast majority of Crimean voters favored joining Russia.
On February 27, 2014, armed men took control of the Crimean parliament and raised the Russian flag. The parliament then decided to hold a referendum on the status of Crimea. The referendum, held on March 16, 2014, presented two options: joining Russia or reinstating Crimea’s 1992 constitution, which would give it more autonomy within Ukraine. The world community condemned the referendum as unlawful because it was held in the presence of Russian armed personnel and lacked international oversight.
Despite worldwide condemnation, the majority of Crimean voters apparently voted to join Russia, with the referendum reporting a turnout of over 80% and a vote of more than 95% in favor of joining Russia. On March 18, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal officially annexing Crimea to the Russian Federation.