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
M2 highway (Russia) a high-speed road understudy. Olympic Torch Relay took place partly on the new road, despite the fact that only a part of the route in the Moscow region and the junction with the Ring Road was completed in 1980. This was the first interchange in the Soviet Union, the traffic movement on which was carried out in three levels. M2 highway (Russia) The Russian route M2 (also known as the "Crimea Highway", ()) is a major trunk road that connects Moscow to the Crimea. It is part of the European route E105. The length is 720 kilometres. Inaugurated in 1950,