Football in Crimea were expelled after UEFA ruled against the move. In March 2015, UEFA announced that it would treat Crimea as a “special zone,” as neither Russian nor Ukrainian, and that it would help Crimea develop its own soccer system. In return, Russia agreed that the Crimean clubs would not ask to play in European competitions for at least two years. Many players from Crimea played for the Ukraine national football team, among which Serhiy Lezhentsev, Serhiy Kovalets, Denys Holaido, Serhiy Yesin, Oleksandr Svystunov, and Oleksandr Yevtushok. Less often Crimean players played for the Russia national football team, among which is Evgeni
Timeline of the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation of secession of Crimea from Ukraine if the situation in the country worsens. The head of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Refat Chubarov criticized the announcement and said that Konstantinov who was in Moscow at the time, openly invited Russian security forces to intervene in Crimean internal politics. The Russian military operation against Ukraine started on this date, according to the inscription on the Medal "For the Return of Crimea", awarded by the Russian Ministry of Defence. A Ukrainian law signed September 2015 designated this as the "date of the start of the temporary occupation". In Simferopol, a pro-Euromaidan