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'''Sevastopol''' is the home of the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet.

'''Sevastopol''' is the home of the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet. The Port of Sevastopol is one of only three deep water ports - and its primary year round port - that gives the vast Russian territory access to the outside world. [[Murmansk]] on the [[Arctic Ocean]] is frozen six months out of the year, and [[Vladivostok]] on the [[Pacific Ocean]] is only accessible from European Russia via a six day train ride on the [[Trans Siberian Railway]]. Sevastopol gives Russia access to the [[Mediterranean Sea]], the [[Middle Esat]], [[Southern Europe]] and [[Africa]] via the [[Dardanelles]]. Hence Sevastopol is of vital [[national security]], [[commercial]], [[economic]], and trade importance to the Russian Federation.

Since the dissolution of the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]], leaders of the [[Russian Federation]] have made it absolutely clear to the leaders of the [[NATO]] alliance that the Sevastopol naval base will never be used by NATO, absent Russia itself joining the NATO alliance.<ref>https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Crimea-so-important-to-Russia</ref><ref>https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/11/02/the-obama-regimes-plan-to-seize-the-russian-naval-base-in-crimera/</ref><ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/07/ukraine-russia-crimea-naval-base-tatars-explainer</ref>

Since the dissolution of the [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]], the Sevastopol Naval Base has been leased to the Russian Federation. Since the presidency of [[Mikhael Gorbachev]], Russian Federation leaders have repeatedly made it absolutely clear to the leaders of the [[NATO]] alliance that the Sevastopol naval base will never be used by NATO, absent Russia itself joining the NATO alliance.<ref>https://www.quora.com/Why-is-Crimea-so-important-to-Russia</ref><ref>https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/11/02/the-obama-regimes-plan-to-seize-the-russian-naval-base-in-crimera/</ref><ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/07/ukraine-russia-crimea-naval-base-tatars-explainer</ref> At the time of the violent, U.S.-backed [[fascist]] and [[neo-Nazi]] [[Maidan coup]] in 2014, [[NATO]] powers aggressively sought to seize the Sevastopol Naval Base.

==Crimean war==

==Crimean war==