This also allowed the return of Crimean Tatars to the peninsula, an exercise that began around 1987. According to a 2003 paper titled ‘The Crimea Conundrum’ by researcher Doris Wydra, at this time, 90 per cent of the Crimean population was already Russian. Harkening back to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Zelenskyy asserted that peace “must be lasting” and “not like it was years ago”.

Labour would be down 326 seats to just 85, while the Conservatives would drop by 51 to 70. The research of more than 16,000 Britons predicts that Nigel Farage’s insurgent party would have a majority of 112. In the 2024 general election, Reform UK secured its first-ever seats in the House of Commons, winning in five constituencies. But the predictions are more grim news for Sir Keir ahead of elections in May for councils in England, including in London, the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly when Labour is set to be hammered, according to polls.

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The coast then runs south to Sevastopol/Chersonesus, a good natural harbor, great naval base and the largest city on the peninsula. The north and centre of Crimea fell to the Mongol Golden Horde, although the south coast was still controlled by the Christian Principality of Theodoro and Genoese colonies. The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states, the Byzantine Empire (341–1204 CE), the Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461 CE), and the independent Principality of Theodoro (ended 1475 CE).

• Before the invasion, Zelenskyy focused on diplomatic efforts to get Crimea back, but after Russian troops poured across the border, Kyiv began publicly contemplating retaking the peninsula by force.
• Besides the isthmus of Perekop, the peninsula is connected to the Kherson Oblast’s Henichesk Raion by bridges over the narrow Chonhar and Henichesk straits and over Kerch Strait to the Krasnodar Krai.
• Across the Black Sea to the west lies Romania and to the south is Turkey.
• Putin warned the West against getting involved, brandishing Russia’s nuclear capabilities.

Why Crimea is so important to Russia and Ukraine

In a social media post announcing his vegas casino arrival in the US, Zelenskyy said that he shared a “strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met President Donald Trump on Monday (August 18) in hopes of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine that began in 2022. Russia currently holds roughly 20% of Ukrainian land, including Crimea, so any deal that freezes the lines more or less where they are would benefit Moscow. The peninsula soon became a battleground, with Ukraine launching drone attacks and bombing it to try to dislodge Moscow’s hold on the territory.

Bakhchysarai (1532–1783).Southeast of Bakhchysarai is the cliff-fort of Chufut-Kale/Qirq Or which was used in more warlike times. Behind it is the Syvash or “Putrid Sea”, a system of lakes and marshes which in the far north extend west to the Perekop Isthmus. Just south of Kerch the new Crimean Bridge (opened in 2018) connects Crimea to the Taman Peninsula. On the south side is the large Donuzlav Bay and the port and ancient Greek settlement of Yevpatoria/Kerkinitis/Gözleve.

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Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis “I’d scrap Ulez, because I don’t think a war on motorists helps anyone,” Ms Cunningham said. “There will be a new sheriff in town, and I’ll be launching an all-out war on crime,” Ms Cunningham said. “On the other hand, Labour would slump to a modern low, losing over half of the total number of seats in parliament and being reduced to just 85 MPs. Constituencies Reform are tipped to win include Ms Rayner’s Ashton-under-Lyne seat, Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Leeds West and Pudsey, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s Doncaster North.

• Today, the Crimean Tatar name of the peninsula is Qırım, while the Russian is Крым (Krym), and the Ukrainian is Крим (Krym).
• Greeks colonised its southern fringe and were absorbed by the Roman and Byzantine Empires and successor states while remaining culturally Greek.
• The peninsula was home to Turkic-speaking Tatars when the Russian empire first annexed it in the 18th century.
• The Reform leader said the May local elections, including in London, would be used by his party as a springboard to seek to take control of City Hall in 2028.

President Donald Trump said Ukraine won’t get back Crimea during negotiations with Russia to end the war, but what is Crimea and why is it so important? When the Soviet Union collapsed, the peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine. As Russia’s war in Ukraine hits the 18 month mark, the Crimean Penisula is becoming both a playground and a battleground again. “This is a war that should have never happened. I call it the war that should have never happened.”

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In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the peninsula became part of an independent Ukraine. While Ukraine was in turmoil, Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to send troops to overrun Crimea, a diamond-shaped peninsula in the Black Sea. So why is Crimea so important to both sides and what role does it play in the war? But he faces increasing pressure from US President Donald Trump, who told reporters he thinks the Ukrainian leader is ready to give up the peninsula.

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Putin has called the peninsula “a sacred place” and has prosecuted those who publicly argue it is part of Ukraine — particularly the Crimean Tatars, who strongly opposed the annexation. Ahead of its full-scale invasion, Moscow deployed troops and weapons to Crimea, allowing Russian forces to quickly seize large parts of southern Ukraine early in the war. Putin has called the peninsula “a sacred place” and has prosecuted those who publicly argue it is part of Ukraine — particularly the Crimean Tatars, who strongly opposed the annexation. Historically, possession of the southern coast of Crimea was sought after by most empires of the greater region since antiquity (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Russian, British and French, Nazi German, Soviet).

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So, tactical voting could significantly reduce the number of seats that it wins. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would retain his Islington North seat which he won standing as an independent in 2024. But other Cabinet ministers including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband would be voted out.

Another classical name for Crimea, Tauris or Taurica, is from the Greek Ταυρική (Taurikḗ), after the peninsula’s Scytho-Cimmerian inhabitants, the Tauri. Today, the Crimean Tatar name of the peninsula is Qırım, while the Russian is Крым (Krym), and the Ukrainian is Крим (Krym). In 2014, the peninsula was occupied by Russian forces and annexed by Russia, but most countries recognise Crimea as Ukrainian territory. After Ukrainian independence in 1991, most of the peninsula was reorganised as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

The eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula comprises the Kerch Peninsula, separated from Taman Peninsula on the Russian mainland by the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, at a width of between 3–13 kilometres (1.9–8.1 mi). Besides the isthmus of Perekop, the peninsula is connected to the Kherson Oblast’s Henichesk Raion by bridges over the narrow Chonhar and Henichesk straits and over Kerch Strait to the Krasnodar Krai. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence in 1991 most of the peninsula was reorganised as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. From 1853 to 1856, the strategic position of the peninsula in controlling the Black Sea meant that it was the site of the principal engagements of the Crimean War, where Russia lost to a French-led alliance. In the 1440s the Crimean Khanate formed out of the collapse of the horde but quite rapidly itself became subject to the Ottoman Empire, which also conquered the coastal areas which had kept independent of the Khanate. The Genoese–Mongol Wars were fought between the 13th and 15th centuries for control of south Crimea.

Moscow’s illegal annexation on 18 March 2014 was only recognised internationally by a few countries, including North Korea and Sudan. The strategic peninsula of Crimea is crucial in US-led efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He threatened an all-out war if Ukraine were to take back the peninsula by force.

This local electricity generation has proven insufficient for local consumption, and since annexation by Russia, Crimea has been reliant on an underwater power cable to mainland Russia. Crimea has 540 MW of its own electricity generation capacity, including the 100 MW Simferopol Thermal Power Plant, the 22 MW Sevastopol Thermal Power Plant and the 19 MW Kamish-Burunskaya Thermal Power Plant. Crimea possesses several natural gas fields both onshore and offshore, which were starting to be drilled by western oil and gas companies before annexation. After the Russian annexation of Crimea in early 2014 and subsequent sanctions targeting Crimea, the tourist industry suffered major losses for two years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to retake it and said Russia “won’t be able to steal” the peninsula. There was abundant evidence to the contrary, including a Dutch court’s finding that a Russia-supplied air defense system shot down a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people aboard. After the annexation, fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine between pro-Kremlin militias and Kyiv’s forces. Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea on March 18, 2014, was recognized only by countries such as North Korea and Sudan. Russia’s illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 was quick and bloodless, and it sent Moscow’s relations with the West into a downward spiral unseen since the Cold War. Russia currently holds roughly 20% of Ukrainian land, including Crimea, so any deal that freezes the lines more or less where they are would benefit Moscow

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Sir Keir Starmer would hold onto his Holborn and St Pancras seat, as would Health Secretary Wes Streeting in Ilford North and Justice Secretary David Lammy in Tottenham. These results would be a significant change from the July 2024 General Election when the Tories ended up with zero MPs in Inner London and Reform won no seats. Mr Farage’s party would win the same number of constituencies currently held by the Tories as it gains ground in Outer London including Hornchurch and Upminster, Old Bexley and Sidcup, Orpington, and Romford. Mr Farage would storm into No10 with Reform winning 381 seats, up 376 on the 2024 General Election and with a majority of 112 under the scenario mapped out by the new poll based on current voting intentions. But it also highlights Labour’s strength in London as it would still retain 47 seats in the city while plunging to a historic defeat which would leave it with just 85 across the whole of the country. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is to make a breakthrough in Labour’s London stronghold winning eight seats at the next General Election, according to a new poll.

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Mr Zelenskyy’s permanent representative for Crimea also said in 2023 that between 500,000 to 800,000 Russians had relocated since its annexation. Since 2014, up to 800,000 Russians have moved to the peninsula, and around 100,000 Ukrainians have left, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union reported in 2023. Unlike a territorial concession, a formal surrender of Crimea would make it nearly impossible for Ukraine to regain the peninsula again in the future. According to recent polling, the Ukrainian public largely acknowledges land must be ceded as part of any deal that ends the war, because there is no way to retake it militarily. Mr Zelenskyy has vowed Russia “won’t be able to steal” the peninsula.