Russian President Vladimir Putin flew into Crimea on Monday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Moscow’s annexation of the strategic peninsula from Ukraine which was condemned by the West but remains popular among Russians.
Russian flags flew in the main city of Simferopol while posters celebrating Crimea’s “return to its native land” hung in shop windows and on public transport.
Putin used the visit to officially open two new power stations on the Black Sea peninsula, which was almost wholly dependent on electricity from Ukraine before the annexation.
Moscow took over Crimea in March 2014 after months of tensions with Kiev following the ouster of a pro-Russian leader. The move resulted in a major boost to Putin’s popularity.
But the takeover was denounced by Kiev and the West as an annexation and, along with Moscow’s support for separatist forces in Ukraine’s east, has prompted wide-ranging sanctions against Russia.
“March 18 is a remarkable day for Sevastopol, for Crimea and for the whole country,” Putin said.
He said the plants’ opening in the port city Sevastopol represented “another important step to strengthen the energy security of Crimea”.
Kiev stopped supplying energy to Crimea in late 2015, leaving the peninsula reliant on an underwater cable running from Russia and facing frequent supply problems.
The plants were at the centre of a scandal last year, after the US sanctioned Russian officials who supplied them with turbines built by German engineering giant Siemens — a violation of European Union sanctions against Moscow.
On Monday evening Putin appeared on stage at an open-air concert in Simferopol, after a smaller meeting with selected representatives of civil society.
Activists have accused Russia of cracking down on civil society since the takeover. The Crimean Tatars, a Muslim-majority community that is largely opposed to the annexation, have faced pressure from Russian authorities.
In Russia, March 18 has been proclaimed the “Day of Crimea’s Reunification with Russia” and celebrated with events across the country. In Crimea, it is a public holiday.
