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Sevastopol. Ukraine
Fyodor Savintsev
Published on 08/08/11
The port city of Sevastopol was founded by Catherine the Great as a naval base in 1783.The Black Sea Fleet’s presence stands as the epitome of Russia’s military glory with the epic battles of the Crimean War and World War Two.
Crimea remained a part of Russia until 1954, when then Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev incorporated the region into Ukrainian territory as a gift to commemorate friendly relations between the two countries. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 meant that Crimea’s majority Russian population and the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet were now legally a part of newly independent Ukraine, whereby each country was left with conflicting interests in Crimea. The unique geographic location and navigation conditions of the city’s harbours make Sevastopol a strategically important. It is also a popular seaside resort and tourist destination.