Crimean Oblast

This article is about the former administrative division of the Ukrainian SSR. For the current administrative division of the Russian Federation, and subject of the 2014 Crimean Crisis, see Republic of Crimea.

Crimean Oblast Кримська область Крымская область
Oblast of the Russian SFSR (1945-1954) and Ukrainian SSR (1954-1991)
←   ← 1945–1991 →
Crimean Oblast (red) and Ukrainian SSR (beige).
Capital		Simferopol
History
•	Crimean ASSR dissolved	June 30, 1945 1945
•	Transferred to Ukrainian SSR	February 19, 1954
•	Autonomy restored	February 12, 1991 1991
Area		27,000 km2 (10,425 sq mi)
Today part of		Russia (de facto) Ukraine (de jure)

The Crimean Oblast (Ukrainian: Кримська область Kryms’ka oblast’ ; Russian: Крымская область Krymskaya oblast’ ; Crimean Tatar: Qırım vilâyeti) was an oblast (province) of the former Russian SFSR (1945–1954) and Ukrainian SSR (1954–1991) within the Soviet Union. Its capital was the city of Simferopol.

The Crimean Oblast replaced the Crimean ASSR on June 30, 1945.

The oblast was transferred from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR on February 19, 1954.

Sevastopol was a closed city due to its importance as the port of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet and was attached to the Crimean Oblast only in 1978.

Following a referendum held on January 20, 1991, the Crimean Oblast was given back its pre-WWII status of Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on February 12, 1991, by the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR.

In 1992, the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was transformed into the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine, with the exception of the city of Sevastopol whose status, once again due to its strategic importance as the port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, remained disputed between Ukraine and Russia until 1997, when it was agreed that it should be treated as a "city with special status" within Ukraine.

See also

• History of Crimea
• Autonomous Republic of Crimea
• Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
• Crimea Regional Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
• List of Chairmen of the Executive Committee of Crimea