Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation Yanukovych. At the end of the meeting Putin remarked that "we must start working on returning Crimea to Russia". On 23 February, pro-Russian demonstrations were held in the Crimean city of Sevastopol. On 27 February masked Russian troops without insignia took over the Supreme Council (parliament) of Crimea, and captured strategic sites across Crimea, which led to the installation of the pro-Russian Aksyonov government in Crimea, the conducting of the Crimean status referendum and the declaration of Crimea's independence on 16 March 2014. Russia formally incorporated Crimea as two federal subjects of the Russian Federation with effect from 18 March
Prosecutor's office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea the date of Crimean occupation by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine . Because of the occupation of the peninsula by Russian Federation the prosecutor's office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was temporarily relocated to Kyiv. In Ukraine, there was an "unconstitutional seizure of power by radical nationalists with the support of armed gangs," and in this situation, the Supreme Council "assumes full responsibility for the fate of the Crimea." The Parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea adopted a decision to hold a referendum in Crimea on "matters of improving the status and powers" of the region, which was