The Crimean Peninsula settles in southern Ukraine surrounded by the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Crimea has a rich yet troubled history. In the 10th century, the Grand Prince of Kiev, Vladimir the Great whose portrait and burg appear on the 2014 Ukraine 1 Hryvnia note, conquered most of the coastal cities.
Though successful in his quest in taking Crimea from the Byzantines, Vladimir the Great was unable to maintain his power over it as the peninsula fell into the hands of the Kipchaks and to the Tatars.
Annexation of Crimea by Russia
The tug-of-war between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea dates to 1783. It’s when the republic was annexed by the Russian Empire under the command of Empress Catherinne the Great. The annexation led to the Russo-Turkish conflict from 1787 until 1792. During the 1917-1921 Russian Civil War, the Crimean Peninsula became the last republic of the White Russian government. In 1921, the state became an autonomous republic of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. In 1954, it was turned over to Ukraine by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Just in time for the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav, an agreement between Cossack Hetmanate of Ukraine and Tsar Alexis of Russia.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the peninsula became the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. However, the city of Sevastopol was still under Ukraine where both the Ukrainian Naval Forces and the Black Sea Fleet of Russia were based. After the Revolution of Dignity, Russia took over the peninsula in 2014 which is part of the extensive Russo-Ukrainian war.
Annexation of Crimea on a Banknote
This Russian 100 Ruble Banknote from 2015 to commemorates the annexation. It features the painting of Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky “The Russian Squadron on the Sebastopol Roads” on the obverse. The banknote’s front design also depicts the “Monument to the Scuttled Ships”. The sculpture in Sevastopol Bay and the memorial obelisk to the Heroic Defense of Sevastopol. On the reverse of the note is the Swallow’s Nest Castle on the edge of the Aurora cliff overlooking the Cape of Ai-Todor in Crimea. It also shows the St. Vladimirs Cathedral where the Grand Prince of Kiev Vladimir the Great is believed to have been baptized. It became the entrypoint of the Kievan Rus into the world of Christianity.
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimea
