Sevastopol << suh VAS tuh `pohl` >> (pop. 344,853) lies on the Crimean Peninsula, which juts into the Black Sea from southern Ukraine. Sevastopol has a large harbor and port facilities. The 11-month siege of the city in 1854 and 1855 marked the chief battle of the Crimean War. Sevastopol was attacked again in 1918, during World War I. An eight-month siege in 1941 and 1942, during World War II, reduced Sevastopol to ruins, but the city has been largely rebuilt. The Soviet Navy’s Black Sea fleet was based in Sevastopol.
The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. In 1997, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement that allowed Russia to lease docking space for its Black Sea naval fleet at Sevastopol. In March 2014, Russian forces secured control of Crimea, including Sevastopol. That same month, people on the peninsula voted to declare independence from Ukraine. The government of Ukraine, and many of its allies, called the vote illegal. Days later, Russia annexed (assumed control of) the peninsula.
