Sevastopol
Rear Admiral Thomas MacKenzie arrived at the Crimean coast in June 1783 to establish a naval squadron base. He named this new settlement Akhtiar, which translates to White Cliff in Russian. Five years earlier, Alexander Suvorov had ordered earthworks built along the harbor and placed Russian troops there. The Crimean Tatar version of this name remains Aqyar today. In February 1784, Empress Catherine II issued an order for Grigory Potyomkin to construct a fortress. She instructed that the fortress be called Sevastopol instead of its previous name. This Greek-derived compound combines sebastos meaning venerable with polis meaning city. The name honored Augustus, the first Roman emperor, and later titles awarded to his successors. Catherine visited the site in 1787 alongside Joseph II, Emperor of Austria, and other foreign dignitaries. The Senate officially restored the name Sevastopol on the 29th of April 1826 after Paul I had renamed it back to Akhtiar in 1797. Ruins of ancient Chersonesos sit to the west of the modern city center. These ruins date from the fifth century BC when settlers from Heraclea Pontica founded the original port.
Allied forces landed on the peninsula in September 1854 following extended preparations. They marched south of Sevastopol after winning the Battle of the Alma on the 20th of September. Russian counterattacks occurred at Balaclava on the 25th of October and Inkerman in November but ended in stalemate or repulsion. The front settled into a siege lasting eleven months involving brutal conditions for troops on both sides. French forces assaulted Fort Malakoff before Sevastopol finally fell. Russia sued for peace in March 1856 while isolated and facing invasion threats from the West. France and Britain welcomed this development due to domestic unpopularity of the conflict. The Treaty of Paris signed on the 30th of March 1856 ended the war. This treaty forbade Russia from basing warships in the Black Sea for decades. The restriction hampered Russians during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, 78. After that conflict, Russia moved to reconstitute its naval strength and fortifications in the region. A monument dedicated to ships scuttled during the siege stands today as designed by Amandus Adamson.
German forces used railway artillery including history's largest-ever calibre piece in battle during 1941, 42. The Schwerer Gustav measured 80-cm calibre and destroyed extremely heavy fortifications like the Maxim Gorky Fortresses. Fighting lasted for 250 days before the fortress city fell to Axis forces in July 1942. German planners intended to rename the location Theodorichshafen referencing Theodoric the Great if they won against the Soviet Union. Crimea was designated for future colonisation by the Third Reich after capture. The Red Army liberated the area on the 9th of May 1944 following fierce resistance. Authorities awarded Hero City status to Sevastopol one year later in 1945. Italian and Romanian allies supported German bombardment campaigns throughout the struggle. Specialized mobile heavy mortars complemented the massive railway guns used to breach defenses. The ruins of an ancient Greek theatre remain visible near Chersonesos Taurica today.
Sevastopol became a so-called closed city during the Soviet era requiring permits for non-residents. Any visitor had to apply to authorities for temporary permission to enter the restricted zone. On the 29th of October 1948, the Presidium of the Supreme Council issued an order confirming this special status. Soviet academic publications since 1954 indicated that Sevastopol belonged to the Ukrainian SSR despite its Russian population. Nikita Khrushchev transferred both the city and the rest of Crimea from the Russian SFSR to Ukraine in 1954. Administratively, Sevastopol functioned as a municipality excluded from the adjacent Crimean Oblast. The territory covered 863.5 square kilometers and subdivided into four raions or districts. Balaklava town joined the city in 1957 after holding no prior administrative status until then. Inkerman and urban-type settlement Kacha also fell under municipal control alongside twenty-nine villages. Electoral districts split the area into Stalinsky and Korabelny regions for the 1955 parliamentary elections. Two people's deputies represented the city in the Verkhovna Rada including A. Korovchenko and M. Kulakov.
Ukraine declared independence from the USSR in 1991 making Sevastopol the principal base of its navy. As the key naval base of the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet it became a source of tension between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia passed a resolution declaring Sevastopol a federal Russian city on the 10th of July 1993. The United Nations Security Council denounced this decision on the 20th of July 1993 marking the first time they reviewed legislative actions of that nature. Viktor Prusakov led an organization ready for armed mutiny to establish Russian administration by late July 1993. Eduard Baltin had been appointed commander of the fleet by Yeltsin and Kravchuk on the 15th of January 1993. The Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov claimed the city while the Russian Federation Council endorsed territorial claims in December 1996. Ukraine proposed special partnership with NATO in January 1997 in response. Russia and Ukraine signed the Partition Treaty on Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet on the 28th of May 1997. Around 15,000 troops remained stationed in Sevastopol under long-term lease agreements.
A pro-Russian rally took place in Nakhimov Square on the 23rd of February 2014 declaring allegiance to Russia. Pro-Russian militia including Russian troops seized control of government buildings in Crimea by the 27th of February. Strategic locations like the military airport fell under their control by the 28th of February. An internationally unrecognised referendum occurred on the 16th of March 2014 claiming 95.6% voter support for joining Russia. Official results stated turnout reached 89.51% according to organizers. Ukraine and almost all other countries consider this referendum illegal and illegitimate. Russia annexed Crimea on the 18th of March incorporating it as a federal subject alongside Moscow and St. Petersburg. Most countries recognize Sevastopol as part of Ukraine despite de facto Russian control. The international community continues to view the area as belonging to Ukraine legally. Mikhail Razvozhayev serves as Governor following amendments to the city charter on the 29th of November 2016. The Legislative Assembly replaced the City Council after Russia annexed Ukrainian Crimea. Alexei Chaly acted as people's mayor before official elections began.
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Common questions
When was Sevastopol founded and by whom?
Rear Admiral Thomas MacKenzie arrived at the Crimean coast in June 1783 to establish a naval squadron base. He named this new settlement Akhtiar, which translates to White Cliff in Russian.
Why did Empress Catherine II rename the city to Sevastopol?
Empress Catherine II issued an order for Grigory Potyomkin to construct a fortress in February 1784 and instructed that it be called Sevastopol instead of its previous name. This Greek-derived compound combines sebastos meaning venerable with polis meaning city to honor Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
How long did the siege of Sevastopol last during World War II?
Fighting lasted for 250 days before the fortress city fell to Axis forces in July 1942. German forces used railway artillery including history's largest-ever calibre piece known as Schwerer Gustav measuring 80-cm calibre to destroy extremely heavy fortifications like the Maxim Gorky Fortresses.
What administrative status does Sevastopol hold today under Russian control?
Mikhail Razvozhayev serves as Governor following amendments to the city charter on the 29th of November 2016. The Legislative Assembly replaced the City Council after Russia annexed Ukrainian Crimea on the 18th of March 2014 incorporating it as a federal subject alongside Moscow and St. Petersburg.
When was Sevastopol designated as a closed city by Soviet authorities?
On the 29th of October 1948, the Presidium of the Supreme Council issued an order confirming this special status requiring permits for non-residents. Any visitor had to apply to authorities for temporary permission to enter the restricted zone.