Large-scale construction on the peninsula funded by Moscow facilitated the region's Russification for decades
Russia launched a strategy of covertly seizing Crimea back in the 1990s through infrastructure financing. The programme of former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov lasted until 2010 and aimed to consolidate Russian influence. This was reported by Ukrinform, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
Under the so-called Luzhkov programme, financed by the Moscow budget, entire residential quarters, educational institutions, and sanatoriums were built on the peninsula. This enabled Russian military personnel retiring from service to receive housing and remain in the region permanently.
Infrastructure expansion
As Lieutenant General Vasyl Servatiuk noted, facilities were constructed in Kerch, Shcholkine, Simferopol, and Yevpatoria. In Sevastopol alone, an entire “Moscow Quarter” was built near Admiral Fadeyev Street.
These measures contributed to the gradual Russification of Crimea and formed a demographic base loyal to Kremlin policy. The expert emphasized that the aggressive intentions of the RF towards Ukrainian territory began to be implemented almost from the moment Ukraine gained independence.
Consequences of lack of resistance
Vasyl Servatiuk expressed the conviction that more active involvement of the Ukrainian civilian population in the region’s development during that period could have changed the course of history. In his view, the absence of a state strategy to counter Russian influence on the peninsula significantly facilitated Moscow’s occupation plans.
Previously, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the lack of decisive orders to defend Crimea in 2014 had strategic consequences for the country’s subsequent security situation. The events that took place on the peninsula over the decades created the conditions for the RF’s full-scale aggression.
Photo: з особистого архіву Василя Серватюка
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