[48], Mean annual temperatures range from 10C (50.0F) in the far north (Armiansk) to 13C (55.4F) in the far south (Yalta). Rich iron ore reserves located in the vicinity of Kryvyy Rih, Kremenchuk, Bilozerka, Mariupol, and Kerch form the basis of Ukraine's large iron-and-steel industry. Odessa stands where the coast turns southwest. Fuel resources include fossil fuel deposits of coal, natural gas and oil. Concerns over this change in political leadership led Russia to annex the Crimea, and to support a rebellion by the eastern Ukraine provinces that . It has a population of 2.4 million. [71] This local electricity generation has proven insufficient for local consumption and since annexation by Russia, Crimea has been reliant on an underwater power cable to mainland Russia.[72]. Uchan-su, on the south slope of the mountains, is the highest waterfall in Crimea. The country's geostrategic position has rendered it susceptible to the ongoing larger conflict between Russia and the West. This is second only to Norway's known resources of 1.53 trillion cubic meters. Are Ukraine's vast natural resources a real reason behind Russia's invasion? A foothold in the country would mean an economic driver, energy security, and a strong and secure strategic position. Many anti-Communist fighters and civilians escaped to Istanbul but up to 150,000 were killed in Crimea. Therefore, it is not surprising that Russia'sUkraine invasion will have a huge collateral effect on the coal and electricity sector. Gazprom is Russia's largest company and, as of 2019, was the world's largest publicly-owned natural gas firm. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukraine. They may be outnumbered, however: While much of western Ukraine favors a greater political, economic and cultural alliance with Western Europe and the United States, the majority of those in eastern Ukraine and Crimea where many residents are ethnic Russians look to Moscow for leadership and support. The Crimean Peninsula is connected to Ukraine by two narrow necks of land, making it more like an island with two natural land bridges than simply a bit of land jutting out into the sea. Trolleybuses are also operated in Sevastopol and Kerch. Russia's contention with the West. The terrain that lies south of the sheltering Crimean Mountain range is of an altogether different character. This "riviera" stretches along the southeast coast from capes Fiolent and Aya, in the south, to Feodosia. [48] In January mean temperatures range from 3C (26.6F) in Armiansk to 4.4C (39.9F) in Myskhor. The new illegal Crimean government has entrusted Gazprom to manage the peninsula's energy resources. [81][82] In general they prohibit the sale, supply, transfer, or export of goods and technology in several sectors, including services directly related to tourism and infrastructure. Crimea is connected to Kherson (Ukrainian region) on the south by the 5-7 kilometers wide Isthmus of Perekop and separated from Russia . [48] The plains usually receive 300 to 400 millimetres (11.8 to 15.7in) of precipitation per year, increasing to 560 millimetres (22.0in) in the southern coast at sea level. . [73] The road bridge opened in May 2018, and the rail bridge opened in December 2019. [60], In 2014, the republic's annual GDP was $4.3billion (500 times smaller than the size of Russia's economy). The south coast remained Greek in culture for almost two thousand years including under Roman successor states, the Byzantine Empire (3411204 CE), the Empire of Trebizond (12041461 CE), and the independent Principality of Theodoro (ended 1475 CE). Long-distance trains under the name Tavriya operated by the company Grand Servis Ekspress connect Sevastopol and Simferopol daily with Moscow and Saint Petersburg, in the summer season Yevpatoria and Feodosia are also directly connected by them. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that eastern Ukraine, which (like Crimea) is home to many Russians, belongs to Russia and he wants to take it back. [79] After the breaking up of the Young Pioneers in 1991 its prestige declined, though it remained a popular vacation destination. They were also known as slave traders who raided lands as far north as modern-day Poland. This bridge was damaged during an attack on October 8, 2022. It was colonized by the ancient Greeks beginning in the seventh century BCE along with other areas of the northern Black Sea coast. The majority of auto companies are looking at lithium reserves across the world. Across the Black Sea to the west lies Romania and to the south is Turkey. "Shortly before the occupation, agreements were . [34] These mountains are backed by secondary parallel ranges. [48] Winds from the northwest bring warm and wet air from the Atlantic Ocean, causing precipitation during spring and summer. The southern coast gradually consolidated into the Bosporan Kingdom which was annexed by Pontus and then became a client kingdom of Rome from 63 BCE to 341 CE. Cattle, poultry and sheep breeding are also important and Crimea is home to a variety of natural resources like salt, porphyry, limestone, and ironstone. Using this exclusive economic zone you literally lay claim to huge chunk of the entire Black Sea. Nearby: East of the Kerch Strait the Ancient Greeks founded colonies at Phanagoria (at the head of Taman Bay), Hermonassa (later Tmutarakan and Taman), Gorgippia (later a Turkish port and now Anapa). Ethnic composition of Crimea's population has changed dramatically since the early 20th century. However, Ukraine's current government wants to not only join NATO but also be a part of the European Union (EU). Lets' take a look: Ukraine's breakaway territories in the Donbass region have abundant natural resources and, thus, make the area economically very feasible for the future. wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, bauxite, reserves of rare earth elements, timber, note, formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources Land use agricultural land: 13.1% (2018 est.) The Crimean Premier League is now the top professional football league in Crimea. Between 1925 and 1969 the camp hosted 300,000 children. Solkhat/Staryi Krym was the old Tatar capital. To start with, the Skifska license block - which lies to the southwest of Crimea in the Black Sea - is estimated to hold up to 8.8 trillion cubic feet in natural gas and condensate resources (source: Ukrainian Government). It was often fortified and sometimes garrisoned by the Turks. The article studies the role of energy resources in the annexation of Crimea by the Russian government. Russia eventually lost and ceded its claim to the peninsula, but not before the cities and villages of Crimea were ravaged. The number of Crimea Germans was 60,000 in 1939. The Prykerchenska zone holds about 321.2 bcm of gas and 126.8 million. In the ongoing international showdown between Russia and Ukraine, the region known as Crimea has emerged as the top prize a position it has held, for better or worse, for millennia. [65][66], Crimea also possesses several natural gas fields both onshore and offshore, which were starting to be drilled by western oil and gas companies before annexation. In the 14th century, it became part of the Golden Horde; the Crimean Khanate emerged as a successor state. Also Read:Russia attacks Ukraine: Is this World War III? In annexing Crimea, Russia dealt a severe blow to Ukraine's aspirations to become a fossil energy powerhouse. In response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the "referendum" as baseless and invalid and confirming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. When . By Alexander_Kudrin. Furthermore, Russia has plans to extract and use Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar natural resources from Crimea and the Sea of Azov such as the Azov-Berezansky and Indolo-Kubnasky oil and gas fields. He is the author of Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War (Routledge 2022) and joint editor of Ukraine's Outpost. The recorded history of the Crimean Peninsula begins around the fifth century BCE when several Greek colonies were established along its Southern Coast, the most important of which was Chersonesos near modern-day Sevastopol, with Scythians and Tauri in the hinterland to the north. That's why any instability in the region is bound to send shock waves through international energy markets: Crude-oil prices jumped by $2.33 a barrel on Monday (March 3), due in large part to jitters over the Russian aggression in Crimea, according to the Associated Press. The eastern tip of the Crimean peninsula comprises the Kerch Peninsula, separated from Taman Peninsula on the Russian mainland by the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, at a width of between 313 kilometres (1.98.1mi). (More than 50 percent of the Crimean economy is devoted to food production and distribution industries, according to Ukrainian government figures.). 2) Economical exploitation is carried out in Crimea. There are signs the Black Sea contains a lot of wealth. Much of the country's corn and wheat are destined for Africa and West Asia, which are heavily reliant on imports for food items. Until 2014 the network was part of the Cisdneper Directorate of the Ukrainian Railways. In 1944, Crimean Tatars were ethnically cleansed and deported under the orders of Joseph Stalin, in what has been described as a cultural genocide. Over 50 per cent of Ukraine's annual corn and wheat shipments head to Africa or the Middle East. [38] The Alma and the Kacha are the second- and third-longest rivers. [citation needed] The Mir payment system operated by the Central Bank of Russia operates in Crimea as well as Master Card and Visa. [57] According to the Russian administration of Crimea, they dropped to 3.8million in 2014,[58] and rebounded to 5.6million by 2016. St. Vladimir's Cathedral, dedicated to the Heroes of Sevastopol (Crimean War). The country gets 55 per cent of its natural gas from Russia, and the bulk of it goes through Ukraine, which earns a transit fee equivalent to $7 billion. [62] Sunn pestsespecially Eurygaster integriceps[63] and E. maura[64]are significant grain pests. Older plants in operation include the Sevastopol TEC (close to Inkerman) which uses AEG and Ganz Elektro turbines and turbogenerators generating about 25 MW each, Sinferopol TEC (north, in Agrarne locale) Yepvatoria, Kamysh Burun TEC (Kerch south Zaliv) and a few others. Germany is also a big consumer of Russia's natural gas. Once a flourishing and wealthy colony of ancient Greeks, a trade hub for Venetians and Genoese, a center of sciences and the arts! Among the many natural resources can be identified the main minerals of Crimea in short: Fossils of sedimentary origin; Fossils of volcanic origin; Fossils of marine origin.