History of Crimea

In this episode, we explore the history of Crimea, tracing how conquest, migration, and imperial rivalry transformed the peninsula into a lasting geopolitical flashpoint. The discussion covers the Russian Empire’s annexation of the Crimean Khanate in 1783, the strategic pursuit of Black Sea dominance, the Soviet deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944, and the region’s administrative transfer to Ukraine in 1954. We also examine how these earlier episodes of political control and demographic change shaped modern Crimea, including Russia’s occupation and annexation of the peninsula in 2014.