MOSCOW, April 19 Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu at the Collegium of the Military Department recalled that that the Crimean peninsula was accepted under the protection of the Russian Empire 239 years ago at the request of the inhabitants. «First, I want to dwell on a memorable date in the history of our state. Today, in accordance with federal law, the Day of the adoption of Crimea, Taman and Kuban into the Russian Empire is celebrated. 239 years ago Catherine II, at the request of the inhabitants of Crimea, who suffered from wars, accepted the peninsula under the protection of the Russian state,» the minister said. :19 In Russia, Volodin explained Zelensky's words about his readiness to discuss Crimea and Donbass. He emphasized that the referendum on March 16, 2014 became a logical continuation of the history of Russian Crimea. «With an absolute majority of votes, Crimeans supported reunification with Russia, which allowed maintaining stability and peace on the peninsula,» Shoigu said. Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum after a coup in Ukraine. In the referendum, 96.77% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voted for joining Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea its own, but temporarily occupied territory, many Western countries support Kyiv in this. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea democratically, in full accordance with international law and the UN Charter, voted for reunification with Russia. According to President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea «is finally closed.»
