In March 2014, Crimea was annexed by Russia. But troubles began centuries before. A look at Crimean history reveals conflict in the region is nothing new. The Ukraine, Russia and the Tartars have all left their mark on the peninsula between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Can tensions over Crimea ever be resolved? The film introduces towns and regions in the Crimea, looks back at the peninsula’s eventful past and explains the current situation from a historical perspective. In March 2014, the Crimea became part of the Russian Federation once again. An internationally disputed referendum led to the reunification of the Crimea and Russia. For thousands of years, the Crimean peninsula has been home to numerous peoples who have all left their mark on the region. Various sites bear testimony to this past – the remains of Scythian and Greek settlements, an ancient Armenian monastery, the Tartar village of Bakhchysarai, the synagogues of Yevpatoria and Kerch, the magnificent palaces of the Russian nobility, Stalin’s hillside dacha, the port of Sevastopol, the famous pioneer camp of Artek near Yalta… First annexed in 1783, the Crimea has not always been part of Russia. Nikita Krushchev handed the peninsula over to the Ukraine in 1954. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Crimea continued to belong to Ukraine. The Crimea became a thorn in Russia’s side and a phantom of patriotic sentiments. The author meets Ukrainians, Russians and Tatars, who talk about their lives in the Crimea, but also British, Ukrainian, Russian, Tatar and German historians and international law experts who explain the current situation in the Crimea from a historical perspective. _______
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