On the 12th anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and following with "an illegitimate referendum," Türkiye said Monday it does not recognize the situation on the peninsula, calling it "a violation of international law.”

"While strongly supporting Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, Türkiye will continue to closely monitor the situation on the Peninsula and keep it on the agenda, with particular attention to the situation of the Crimean Tatar Turks," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, a move widely viewed as illegal by the international community, including Türkiye and the U.N. General Assembly.

Annexation

Crimea became a focal point of tensions between Ukraine and Russia after the ouster of pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, following pro-Western protests that deepened divisions between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian factions. The unrest spread to the Crimean Peninsula as a new pro-Western administration came to power in Kyiv.

Around the same time, Russian military units already stationed in Crimea expanded their presence across cities on the peninsula, actions widely seen as violating agreements signed between Russia and Ukraine in 1997 and 2010 governing the basing of Russian forces there.

In February 2014, a pro-Russian crowd stormed the Crimean parliament, demanding a referendum on independence from Ukraine. The Crimean Tatar National Assembly, which supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, announced plans for a counter-rally against pro-Russian groups advocating the vote. Large demonstrations by both sides took place on Feb. 26, 2014, with more than 7,000 activists, mostly Crimean Tatars, gathering to oppose secession. Two people died in clashes during the confrontation, and the referendum was temporarily postponed.

A day later, armed pro-Russian personnel known as "little green men,” so named for their uniforms without insignia, began seizing key government buildings and soon took control of the regional parliament. Reports widely suggested the forces were Russian troops operating without official markings, though this was never formally confirmed at the time. While under the control of these forces, the parliament reconvened on March 6 and scheduled the referendum for March 16.

In the days leading up to the vote, pro-Russian authorities launched a campaign targeting pro-Ukrainian groups, particularly Crimean Tatars. Crimean Tatar leaders called for a boycott of the referendum, but the vote went ahead and produced a result favoring union with Russia.

The U.N. General Assembly later declared the referendum invalid, and most U.N. member states, including Türkiye, rejected Russia’s claim to the peninsula. Moscow nonetheless proceeded with the annexation. Five days after the vote, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree formally incorporating Crimea into the Russian Federation and establishing new federal entities.

The annexation brought increased pressure on Crimean Tatars, a Turkic Muslim community Indigenous to the peninsula. Authorities cited the Feb. 26 clashes as justification for arrests and investigations targeting Tatar leaders and activists. The Crimean Tatar National Assembly was later banned after being labeled an extremist organization. Activists say some detainees died in custody or reported torture in Russian prisons, while several others were allegedly abducted by pro-Russian forces.

Crimea again became strategically significant after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, using the peninsula as a staging ground for military operations. Russian forces also seized parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions while maintaining control over areas of Donetsk and Luhansk held by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.

Ukraine has since carried out strikes on military targets in Crimea using missiles and unmanned sea and aerial vehicles supplied by Western allies. British-French Storm Shadow missiles have been used to target Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and shipyard facilities in Sevastopol, damaging several warships. Ukrainian amphibious units have also conducted limited raids on the peninsula. According to Ukrainian officials, these attacks forced Russia to relocate some Black Sea Fleet vessels to the port of Novorossiysk.

Russia also organized referendums in other occupied Ukrainian regions. On Sept. 30, 2022, Putin signed decrees annexing Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Together with Crimea, the move effectively added about 15% of Ukraine’s territory to Russia and helped establish a land corridor linking the Donbas region with Crimea.

Türkiye’s bond

NATO member Türkiye has balanced ties with Kyiv and Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has maintained good ties with both, supporting Ukraine militarily and backing its territorial integrity while refusing to join sanctions on Russia.

Türkiye traces its relations with Crimea to the 15th century, when the Turkic Crimean Khanate accepted the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. Close relations continued for centuries, at least until the Russo-Turkish War of the 18th century. The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (Kuchuk-Kainarji), which marked the end of the war, also ended Crimea’s alignment with the Ottoman Empire. Shortly after the signing of the treaty, Russia annexed the peninsula.