[VO] Crimea. For almost three centuries,
it’s been a stronghold of Russian culture.
[VO] Ten years ago, after events that divided the peninsula's history
into 'before' and 'after', it became part of Russia for good.
[Viktor] This square is where those events took place
on February 26 in 2014, and it all happened
[Aksyonov] One is rarely so fortunate as to have the chance to join such events
[Andrey] We felt such relief after the referendum, it was like
a second birth
[Valentina] 3 years ago, this was just an empty field
[Valentina] Now it's a lovely multidisciplinary medical centre
[Konstantin] In these ten years 'Kids Land' has undergone a second birth
[Ekaterina] Wine tourism is now its own independent field
[Andrey] Nothing like this was ever built
in the quarter century that Crimea wasn't part of Russia
[Dmitry Khrustalev, RT Correspondent]
[Correspondent] What's a decade?
[Correspondent] Historically, it's so short, specially for Crimea,
home to many civilisations and cultures for eons
[Correspondent] But Crimea has seen so much change in the last 10 years,
enough to fill a whole era
CRIMEA'S RENAISSANCE
[Anatoly Maikov, Sailing Yacht Captain, Yacht Tours Organiser]
[Anatoly] I came here in 2016, we brought a boat from Italy to Gelendzhik
[Anatoly] Two months later, we came to Sevastopol
[Anatoly] I was so awed by Crimea's beauty, I thought I'd work for a season
[Anatoly] But I stayed
[Anatoly] I'm the captain of a sailing yacht. We teach yachting, hold regattas,
and offer yacht tours around Crimea
[Anatoly] We sew awnings and seat covers,
and repair boat sails for Sevastopol and Crimea
[Anatoly] The idea to take up sewing came to me back in 2018
[Anatoly] I decided to sew a cover for my Laser class racing boat
[Anatoly] My biggest motivation was my granddad, who said it was too hard
[Anatoly] You must study, pass theory and practical exams, and so on
[Anatoly] I mended my first sails outside
[Anatoly] We did it all: machines, tables… In fact, Granddad made the table
[Anatoly] At first, he said it was too difficult
[Man] Go ahead
[Anatoly] Be careful
[Anatoly] Let's put it starboard
[Man] It's loosened?
[Anatoly] When you get on a yacht, you can't be dragged from the sea
[VO] After major reconstruction,
Balaklava will have a modern yachting centre.
The bay will be cleansed and deepened,
and the marina will accommodate up to 600 vessels.
[VO] Old buildings will be restored
and the waterfront area will get a face-lift.
[VO] A public beach, new restaurants and shops will open.
[Anatoly] Yes, basically, the coastline is very beautiful
[Anatoly] There are many sights to see on the shore,
but all of Crimea's beauty is best experienced from the water
[VO] The Balaklava underground museum.
[VO] During the Cold War, it was a top-secret facility.
[VO] In the 1990s, the former military base was broken up for scrap metal.
[VO] What was left was turned into a museum.
[VO] Today, it’s a state-of-the-art,
featuring interactive areas and multimedia zones.
[Pavel Plekhanov, Head, Balaklava Underground Museum Complex] In 2021, the museum underwent major reconstruction
[Pavel] You could say that the whole interior was rebuilt
S-49 SUBMARINE
[VO] For many years, the museum lacked a main exhibit – a submarine.
[VO] After all, this facility was built to service and house submarines.
[Svetlana] It is the only submarine left in the Black Sea Fleet
[Svetlana] It went into service in 1961
[Svetlana] In 2019, the decision was made to repair it
and keep it to go on display in our museum complex
[Svetlana Minenko, Deputy Head of Organisational Work, Balaklava Underground Museum Complex]
[Svetlana] This submarine is uniquely known for its world records
[Svetlana] It was the first to fire a missile from a torpedo tube at 50m
[Svetlana] Then, it set a new world record at a depth of 240 metres
[Svetlana] The museum never stops evolving
[Svetlana] It showcases the power of a great state
that in the sturdy, rocky ground, 120 metres beneath Mount Tavros,
built a huge underground complex that could accommodate submarines
[VO] Crimea is called an unsinkable aircraft carrier due to its strategic location
[VO] There’s just no alternative to Sevastopol’s deep-water bays.
[VO] The Black Sea Fleet base has always been Russia's southern stronghold.
[VO] But under Ukraine, its future remained a matter of political speculation and blackmail.
MAIDAN, KIEV, FEBRUARY 2014
[Protester] Ukraine!
[Andrey] In Kiev, clashes broke out on the Maidan
[Andrey] It began when extremists burned four buses
with Crimean internal troops on board who'd gone to set up a cordon
[Andrey Malygin, CEO, Central Museum of Taurida, Chairman, Council of the Russian Historical Society, Crimea Branch]
[Viktor] This square is where those events took place
on February 26 in 2014, and it all happened
SIMFEROPOL, FEBRUARY 2014
[Viktor] Aggressive radicals staged an illegal rally here
[Viktor] Somewhere around here, there was a border,
a demarcation line, a corridor
Ukraine! Ukraine!
[Viktor] We came for a peaceful rally,
formed a chain, linked arms, and stood together not to let them pass
[Viktor] They used pepper spray, powder, glass and bottles to get through
[Viktor] They came to stop the vote, to stop people making a choice
[Viktor] We came to ensure the vote did take place,
to stop radicals entering the building where the State Council is now
[Viktor] I brought with me a few fellow hunters, who know how to handle a gun
[Viktor] Because we saw shooting and killing
[Viktor] Our leaders stepped up, Aksyonov, Konstantinov,
and started to unite our rallies
[Aksyonov] Crimea is our common home! Let's not drench it with our blood!
[Aksyonov] We must love and respect each other!
[Sergey Aksyonov, Head, Republic of Crimea] I'd been in politics for 6 years, always fighting Ukraine's authorities
[Aksyonov] We were at war, much happened, like blocking the admin building
[Aksyonov] Crimean activists and 'Russian Unity' helped. It's how I lived
[Viktor] We realised that it would come to us from Kiev
[Viktor] To prevent that, we took up arms, whatever we had, to defend Crimea,
our republic
[Viktor] We came here the next morning to build barricades
[Viktor] But people were here
[Viktor] They looked so polite, we called them the 'Polite Little Men'
[Viktor] Then I saw machine gunners on those pallets and I knew it'd all be fine
[Aksyonov] We endured it all without blood, not one broken window
[Aksyonov] We did it in two days, by evening on February 28, it was over
[Aksyonov] I rang Moscow and said, 'All locations taken', on March 1...
[Aksyonov] I met Mr. Putin who said the decision was made
[Aksyonov] I was always a field politician not a desk jockey
[Aksyonov] I knew what went on, the mood
[Aksyonov] I was sure of the result,
[Aksyonov] I knew the majority would support a return to our historical Homeland
[Putin] The referendum was open and fair
[Putin] The people of Crimea clearly and convincingly stated their will
and said they want to be with Russia
[Viktor] Most impressive was when the referendum result was recognised
[Viktor] On the 18th, we joined Russia. It was a show!
[Viktor] There were tears in the eyes, there were hugs and kisses,
rallies...
walks with huge Russian flags
[Viktor] Hard to describe, you had to feel it
[Andrey] We could really breathe after the referendum
[Andrey] When we knew that the decree had been signed,
the document stating that Crimea was part of Russia,
we knew there was no way back, it was like...
a second birth
[VO] A road soon appeared. And not just any road:
a large-scale transport infrastructure connecting Crimea with mainland Russia.
[VO] The Crimean Bridge, a unique piece of engineering,
connected the mainland with the peninsula,
but it turned out to be something more than that.
[VO] It has become a symbol of the reunification
that for many years, millions of people had been waiting for.
[VO] Concurrently, construction of the modern Tavrida Highway was progressing.
[VO] It runs through the entire peninsula.
[VO] Today, hitherto tiring 5–6-hour trips
can now be completed in half the time.
[VO] The new road connects Sevastopol with Kerch through Simferopol,
bypassing settlements and the peninsula’s large cities.
[VO] During construction, a scientific discovery was made:
under the new road, near the village of Zuya,
the longest cave in the Crimea’s submontane range was discovered.
[VO] Its explored passages alone extend 2,000 metres.
[Gennady] They were digging for a road, about 6m
drilling through the soil, they hit the hall's dome
[Gennady Samokhin, Head, 'Taurida Cave' Project, Crimean Federal University]
[Gennady] We came, went down, saw the scale of it
and how unique the cave is, scientifically, its formation
[Gennady] We went up and told them to stop construction
[Gennady] A great decision was made which saved both cave and road
[Gennady] Above us is a bridge, 230m long
[Gennady] They sank 95 piles, 1,200 mm in diameter and 27 to 40 m deep
[Gennady] We designed the project so that not one pile was visible
[Gennady] Then, for attractiveness, we dug a through-channel in this clay
[Gennady] And we saw, quite by accident, the pile that our builders had punched in
[VO] In the Soviet era, Crimea was considered energy-deficient.
[VO] Capacities only covered about 30% of the peninsula’s power needs.
[VO] With Russia's arrival in 2014, everything changed.
[VO] Completed in record-breaking time,
[VO] Simferopol’s Tavricheskaya TPP
and Sevastopol’s Balaklavskaya TPP
are key to Crimea’s new energy system.
[VO] And now the peninsula is energy independent.
[VO] Arid Crimea’s perennial problem
of supplies of fresh water was aggravated in 2014,
when Ukraine blocked the North Crimean Canal,
and the water blockade ensued.
[VO] Strategically important facilities have been built near Simferopol and Sevastopol.
[VO] In the coming years, new water sources will be sought,
desalination plants will be built,
and water supply systems will be modernised.
[VO] From the start of the Crimean Spring
and incorporation with Russia,
the focus has been on the destroyed healthcare system.
[VO] To benefit from modern surgery, people used to have to go to the capital.
[VO] Today, there's a comprehensive patient support system:
from modern rural medical posts to multipurpose health centres.
[Valentina Fursova, Chief Physician, Semashko Clinical Hospital]
[Valentina] 3 years ago, this was just an empty field
[Valentina] In fact, in 2.5 years,
they built this wonderful multipurpose medical centre
[Valentina] We never had equipment like it before:
two CT scanners and two latest-generation MRI scanners
[Valentina] This means we can make quick diagnoses and treat stroke patients
[Doctor] We're now preparing to perform surgery...
to remove a large brain tumour
[Doctor] It's in the high-tech medical category
that's not included in basic mandatory medical insurance
[Doctor] It's a very complex operation
[Rudolf] It's OK. We'll soon let you go [Patient] Yes
[Rudolf] How do you feel? [Patient] I'm fine now
[Rudolf] Feel better? [Patient] Thanks, the doctor saved me
[Rudolf] Yes, I worked almost the same amount of time before 2014,
before Crimea joined Russia, as I do after it was part of Russia
[Rudolf] You know, the difference is huge, you see the patient conditions here
[Rudolf] We're able to perform every possible kind of urological surgery
[Rudolf] We now have minimally invasive technology, surgery without cuts,
so patients spend less time here after surgery,
so we can treat more people
16 OPERATING ROOMS, 730 BEDS, CATERING HALL, OXYGEN STATION, BOILER ROOM, HELIPAD
[VO] Real progress is impossible without developing science and higher education.
[VO] In 2022, Russia announced the Decade of Science and Technology,
and Crimea hasn’t been side-lined.
[VO] Laboratories at the peninsula’s leading universities
have already received development grants from the Ministry of Education and Science,
and students from the mainland have been attracted to local educational centres. NEW EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN CRIMEA
[VO] The days of abandoned science are gone.
[VO] Crimea is developing not only through major federal projects.
[VO] Talented people there are reviving education, science, and sports.
[VO] The young chess player Sergey Karyakin perfected his skills right here.
[VO] Today, in his hometown of Simferopol,
the celebrated grandmaster is passing the baton to future champions.
[Sergey Karyakin, Grandmaster, Rapid Tiebreak and Blitz Chess World Champion] This is where I started playing chess
[Karyakin] It was in about 1995 that I came here
[Karyakin] And I like the fact that after almost 30 years, we're here,
and that the chess club is still going
[Karyakin] It's developing and re-opened after renovation
[Karyakin] And, honestly,
kids now have many more opportunities than I did 30 years ago
[Child 1] This is an easy game [Child 2] Play
[Karyakin] We have free classes for kids. If they have to go somewhere,
we try to support them
[Karyakin] Most important is to engage them
[Karyakin] If we see they're very talented,
[Karyakin] I assure you we give them specific support
[Karyakin] When I moved to Moscow in 2009, it felt absolutely natural
[Karyakin] Moscow and Crimea share the same language, mentality, and people
[Karyakin] It didn't feel like I was moving abroad. After Crimea joined Russia,
it felt good for me to come here
[Karyakin] My parents voted in the referendum. The whole family supported
the decision to join
[Karyakin] I'm happy it turned out the way it did
[Tatyana Karyakina, Sergey Karyakin' Mother] 10 years ago, I was in Moscow with my youngest son and Seryozha
[Tatyana] A couple of days before the vote, we returned to Simferopol
[Tatyana] The situation in the city had been quite tense
[Tatyana] Airspace over Ukraine had been closed. We had to fly around it
[Tatyana] People were rather nervous. There was great tension in the air
[Tatyana] 2 days later, we voted. Of course, we voted for reunification with Russia
[Tatyana] People rejoiced because it was somewhat unexpected
[Tatyana] No one had thought that Crimea could really return 'home'
[VO] Various ethnic groups have lived for centuries on the peninsula,
including the largest, the Great Russians:
the Russian Empire’s Taurida Province,
the Crimean Autonomous Socialist Republic in the USSR,
and finally the Crimean Region after the Great Patriotic War.
[Andrey Malygin] The Soviet era began with a dream, a showcase of how things would be,
not only for the Soviets, but for all progressive humanity,
some time after the triumph of the world revolution
FOOTAGE FROM A 1954 NEWSREEL
[Announcement] Folk flock to Yalta on the Black Sea coast from all over the country
[Andrey] Additionally, Crimea had the powerful Black Sea Fleet
[Andrey] It demonstrated that we weren't just ready to cultivate our land,
but that we'd also protect it
[VO] Until 1954, Crimea wasn’t considered part of Ukraine
and Sevastopol, a symbol Russia’s glory,
was an independent unit subordinate to Moscow,
so it didn’t prevent Khrushchev from handing the peninsula over to the Ukrainian SSR.
[VO] He conferred this royal gift on the 300th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Rada.
[VO] It was celebrated all over the USSR,
and brotherly love between the two Slavic peoples was proclaimed.
[Announcement] The residents of Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky
welcomed Russians as blood brothers
[Andrey] There was something called 'Friendship of Peoples'
[Andrey] In many places, this has shown cracks
[Andrey] Khrushchev saw it as...
a bond, as it's now popular to say,
which could play a big role later on
[Andrey] He was wrong
[Andrey] Such gifts, and their historical, moral message to one's descendants...
were later ignored
[Andrey] After the transfer, Crimea's population never ceased to consider
themselves not so much as Russians, but as belonging to the larger state
[Andrey] You can say 'citizens of Russia'. This feeling was expressed
in more than just words
[Andrey] It was borne out in the figures of the referendum in 1991, THE REFERENDUM ON CRIMEA'S AUTONOMY WAS HELD ON JANUARY 20, 1991
when this question was posed to the population of Crimea:
SIGNATURES BEING COLLECTED TO ARRANGE AN ALL CRIMEA REFERENDUM
[Andrey] 'Are you in favour of recreating the Crimean Autonomous Republic
subject to the Union and the Union Treaty?'
[Andrey] Over 90% answered in the affirmative
[Andrey] When we hear today that people question the outcome
of the referendum...
the one on March 16, 2014, I say:
'Look at the result of the 1991 referendum,
and you'll see there's hardly any difference'
DO YOU SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF THE CRIMEAN AUTONOMOUS SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLIC AS A SUBJECT OF THE UNION SSR AND A PARTICIPANT IN THE UNION TREATY? YES – 94.30% NO – 5.70%
[Woman] 'Give us a bridge to Russia'
[Woman] We're mostly all from there and would like to return,
but how realistic is it?
[Woman] We're allowing the people to decide this question. Hence, the referendum
[VO] A fundamental part of the Soviet era was, without a doubt,
the Artek summer camp that gained a second life with Russia's return.
'ARTEK' - KIDS LAND
[Konstantin Fedorenko, Head, 'Artek' International Children's Centre]
[Konstantin] The last decade has seen the rebirth of 'Kids Land'
[Konstantin] During the whole of 2014, 5,600 children visited 'Artek'
‘ARTEK’ CAMP VISITORS: 2014 – 5,600 2023 – 42,000
[Konstantin] Last year, it was 42,000
[Konstantin] Parents trust 'Artek', which means they trust Russia with the most precious
thing they have - their children
[Konstantin] All this time, we've been restoring 'Artek's' main tradition: its vouchers
[Konstantin] An 'Artek' voucher is a reward, a reward for one's achievements
[Konstantin] If we support and celebrate people who deserve it at every stage,
they will stay to live and work in our country, and raise their kids here
[Oleg] Wine has a long history here: the Greeks and the Genoese made it
[Oleg] They did it in the Russian Empire and during the Soviet era
[Oleg] And in Russia, on this peninsula, the vines thrive
[Ekaterina Sumenkova, Head, Tour and Methodological Services Department, 'By Mriya' Wine Park]
[Ekaterina] Winepark is an incredible place, a unique wine tourism centre
[Ekaterina] Its multifunctionality combines the most interesting and relevant things
currently happening in the Russian winemaking world
[Oleg Nichvidyuk, Chief Winemaker, 'By Mriya' Wine Park]
[Oleg] Our project is quite new. The idea came in 2016
[Oleg] In 2018, we planted the vineyard's first 7.75 hectares
with Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre:
thermophilic varieties because we're by the sea
[Oleg] A lot of sun is needed for them to ripen to ideal condition
[Oleg] The oak wine ageing format is vital for winemaking
[Oleg] The Italians invented it. The barrel gives the wine a leathery nose
[Oleg] For taste there's a bit of prune and tobacco
[Oleg] Here we have Cabernet Sauvignon,
already acquiring the characteristics of an aged wine
[Oleg] Would you like a glass?
[Oleg] We keep wine in oak, and also in concrete,
which is a porous material, but it doesn't add any oak taste
[Oleg] Then, with our professional sommeliers, we select the final blend,
and form the perfect bouquet
[Oleg] We even went a little further using AI in this work
[Oleg] We judged the red and white wines in our lab based on 18 criteria
[Oleg] We tasted them with our commission,
and then asked AI to come up with a blend
[Oleg] AI chose 4 varieties. This blend was made with artificial intelligence
[Oleg] We also have a robot in our vineyards
[Oleg] It photographs vines all day long
[Oleg] It studies how the plants are growing, checking each vine
[Oleg] For example, it might say that a vine is suffering from a fungal infection
[Oleg] So then we go and pinpoint the problem
[Ekaterina] We've seen a sea-change in the last decade
[Ekaterina] Wine tourism is now its own independent field
[Ekaterina] It really is a major driving force in the region:
huge numbers of people come here for wine tourism
[Oleg] Crimea boasts both international flavours
and local, indigenous varieties
[Oleg] Naturally, we place great emphasis on local varieties,
such as Kokur, Dzhevat Kara, and Ekim Kara
AUTOCHTHONOUS GRAPE VARIETIES: KOKUR, DZHEVAT KARAM, EKIM KARA
[Ekaterina] You should always drink the local wine, because it's inspiring
[Ekaterina] While you're here, Crimean wines are the best!
[Mikhail Razvozhaev, Governor of Sevastopol] Sevastopol's terroir is famous all over the world
[Razvozhaev] We've about 30 enterprises: actively developing small and private wineries
[Razvozhaev] Building tourism infrastructure around vineyards comes next,
such as restaurants and small hotels,
all definitely connected via convenient road systems,
so that people can easily organise trips to
[Razvozhaev] Sevastopol's vineyards and wineries
[VO] Another iconic journey is one through Crimea's old palaces.
[VO] These witnesses to history have kept their secrets for centuries.
[VO] You can't imagine the peninsula without them.
[Konstantin Kasperovich, Deputy Director, Alupka Palace and Park Museum-Reserve]
[Kasperovich] The main turning point was when the royal family came to Livadia,
and the 1st palace appeared. The White Palace followed
[Kasperovich] Russia's cultural elite came and developed the Southern Coast
[Kasperovich] Today, of course, it's interesting for its architectural heritage
[Kasperovich] We're celebrating the 10th anniversary
of Crimea's reunification with Russia
[Kasperovich] This is significant because it's time for major reconstruction
and upgrading Crimea's infrastructure
[Kasperovich] Part of the federal program includes construction at Vorontsov Palace
[Kasperovich] In fact, major work has already commenced
[Razvozhaev] Sevastopol has huge federal projects. New Chersonesos is
a historic park forming a cultural cluster at Cape Khrustalny:
an opera and ballet theatre, a dance academy, a new art museum,
and large-scale landscaping around the territory
[Razvozhaev] A 15-hectare urban park - a new tourist attraction - will open
[Razvozhaev] Sevastopol is the 3rd Russian city of federal importance. These projects
will make the city more capital-like
[Razvozhaev] So there will be new interest, new projects, and new development
[Correspondent] Much been done on the peninsula over the past 10 years
[Correspondent] And it's not really about money or resources
[Correspondent] Russia has put its heart here
[Correspondent] In 2014, Crimea returned to its native land, its native civilisation
[Correspondent] And it's become the jewel in the crown of the country we all share