DISINFO: West encouraged the coup and is trying to offend Crimean people's will
SUMMARY
When Russia supported the absolutely free expression of the will of the Crimeans, when the referendum took place, with Russian support, because the servicemen of the Russian military base ensured order, and thanks to them this vote passed bloodlessly, the West suddenly began to say: “You annexed Crimea.” This is a shameful position of Russia's Western partners who encouraged the coup in Kyiv. They are trying in every possible way to offend the feelings, the expression of the will of the people of Crimea.
Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimean voters and 95.6% of Sevastopol residents spoke in favor of joining Russia. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea democratically, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter, voted for reunification with Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and Euromaidan.
There was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014. Pro-Kremlin media falsely portray the Euromaidan revolution as a coup d’état. In fact, the popular demonstrations began in Kyiv in November of 2013 and brought hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to the streets to protest against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government, which at the last minute withdrew from a long-negotiated political association and free trade agreement with the EU, choosing instead to accept a $15 billion economic bailout to Russia.
No international body recognised the so-called referendum in Crimea. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, stating that the referendum in Crimea was not valid and could not serve as a basis for any change in the status of the peninsula. On 17 December 2018, the UN General Assembly confirmed its non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea.
The so-called referendum was organised hastily and at gunpoint following the covert invasion of “little green men” and barring impartial observers from entering the peninsula. The oft-cited figure of about 97% has been contested by the Kremlin’s own Human Rights Council, which estimated that only between 30% and 50% of Crimeans took part in the referendum, of which some 50-60% favoured secession.
Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, recognised on 17 April 2015 that "our soldiers were deployed in Crimea to help the inhabitants express their opinion." Vladimir Putin admitted (proudly) that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before even the Maidan protests culminated.
The European Union does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, which remains a challenge to the international security order. In response to the illegal annexation of Crimea, the EU has imposed restrictive measures against the Russian Federation. On 21 June 2021, the EU renewed sanctions for a further year until 23 June 2022.
See related disinformation claims alleging that Crimea has never been Ukraine; that Crimea rejoined Russia following a referendum; that Crimea "sailed" to Russia forever and the West agrees with it.
More about the myth "Crimea was always Russian " read here.