The Island of Crimea

When I was a child, Crimea always seemed like a sacred, apolitical place. It was an island with distinctive mythology and traces of ancient civilizations. It was there that I saw the sea for the first time. The Crimean peninsula draws its own identity from a melting pot of peoples. In the year 1783, this place of different cultural and religious practices became part of the Russian Empire and gained fame for being the location of the Tsar’s residence. Following the creation of the Soviet Union, Crimea would reframe itself as no longer a place of relaxation for the elite, but instead a Soviet people’s resort. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the peninsula became part of Ukraine, and in March 2014 was incorporated into Russian territory. Crimea would then become known as the centre of the main political conflicts of the past five years. Sanctions and individual restrictions on the territory of Crime have increased the sense of isolation. Within the realms of childhood and local mythology came the interference of a new political stratum.