Russia has another holiday to celebrate the annexation of Crimea.

According to Russia's TASS news agency on August 3, a bill aimed at ensuring that "residents of newly formed regions of Russia, including Crimean Tatars, are granted rights equivalent to those of other members of the Russian Federation" has been signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The new law affirms that April 19th will be considered a major Russian holiday – the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, Taman, and Kuban into the Russian Federation (1783).

The bill was previously passed by the Russian Federation Council and State Duma on July 24 and 28, respectively.

The text states: "On April 19, 1783, the Crimean Peninsula was defended by the Russian Empire at the request of its war-torn people, becoming a legitimate form of Crimea's annexation to Russia."

"Russia's new holiday affirms the continuity of the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol as part of the Russian state. It will allow for a focus on Russia's landmark decisions, namely the inclusion of Crimea, Taman, and Kuban into the Russian Federation and as part of the Russian Empire. The presence of Empress Catherine the Great at the event also highlights the importance of this annexation."

Furthermore, it will demonstrate the historical legitimacy and legality of the referendum on the unification of Crimea with Russia," the law states.

Residents of Simferopol, the capital of the country, celebrate its annexation by Russia. Photo: RIA.

According to TASS, on April 19, 1783, Empress Catherine the Great signed a declaration incorporating Crimea, the Taman Peninsula, and the Kuban River region into the territory of the Russian Empire. From then until 1954, Crimea was an entity of the Russian state, whether Russia was a powerful empire or a republic within the Soviet Union.

On February 19, 1954, at the suggestion of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, the Crimean province was ceded and transferred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic as a "gift" of friendship.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the political forces in power in Ukraine increasingly diverged from Moscow due to their "Western aspirations," seeking to integrate Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic space as soon as possible. The protests of the people in the Crimean Peninsula following the overthrow of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's government in a street revolution led them to hold a referendum allowing them to simultaneously secede from Ukraine and seek annexation by Russia.

On March 18, 2014, representatives of the independent Republic of Crimea signed the Treaty of Accession to the Russian Federation, and President Putin, representing the Russian state, declared the annexation of Crimea and officially established sovereignty over this strategic peninsula.

On July 28, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree merging Crimea and the Southern Federal District into the Russian Federal District. This event was seen as marking the end of Crimea's transitional period. More recently, on May 15, 2018, the Russian authorities inaugurated the Kerch Bridge, connecting the Crimean Peninsula with the North Caucasus region, thus uniting Crimea and Russia and altering the geopolitical and geostrategic significance and value of Crimea.

The choice of commemorating the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from the Russian Empire in 1783 demonstrates the long history and historical significance of this land, which, despite its fluctuating ownership, ultimately returned to Russia.