The Occupation PART 1 of Crimea: Chronicle of Seizure1 1 he Russian Federation (RF) denied its military presence in TCrimea in the lead-up to the so-called ‘referendum’ of March 16, 2014. Only a year later did the Russian authorities acknowledge that Russian troops were operating in Crimea. The actions performed by Russia in Crimea are considered under international law as occupa- tion – the seizure of a territory or a part of a territory of one state by another state’s military forces. An occupation is generally a result of direct warfare between two states. However, in the case of Crimea, Pictured: ‘Little green men’ 1 This section has been prepared by Olga Skrypnyk, Crimea Human Rights Group 7