The Shot in the Back

The Republic of Crimea was the interim name of a polity on the Crimean peninsula between the dissolution of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1992 and the abolition of the Crimean Constitution by the Ukrainian Parliament in 1995. This period was one of conflict with the Ukrainian government over the levels of autonomy that Crimea enjoyed in relation to Ukraine and links between the ethnically Russian Crimea and the Russian Federation.

Simferopol (), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, and is considered the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, but currently is under the de facto control of Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and regards Simferopol as the capital of the Republic of Crimea. Simferopol is an important political, economic and transport hub of the peninsula, and serves as the administrative centre of both Simferopol Municipality and the surrounding Simferopol District. Its population was 332,317 (2014 Census).After the 1784 annexation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire, the Russian empress decreed the foundation of the city with the name Simferopol on the location of the Crimean Tatar town of Aqmescit ("White Mosque").

Simferopol Raion (Ukrainian: Сімферопольський район, Russian: Симферопольский район, Crimean Tatar: Aqmescit rayonı) is one of the 25 regions of the Crimean peninsula, administered by Russia, but considered by many countries as part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion is the city of Simferopol which is incorporated as a town of republican significance and is not a part of the district. The Simferopol Raion is situated in the central part of the peninsula. Population: 152,091 (2014 Census).

Zaliznychnyi District (Ukrainian: Залізничний район; Russian: Железнодорожный район) is an administrative raion (district) of the city of Simferopol. Population: 78,022 (2014 Census).

Kyivskyi District (Russian: Киевский район; Ukrainian: Київський район) is an administrative raion (district) of the city of Simferopol. Population: 154,595 (2014 Census).

Taurida Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (guberniya) of the Russian Empire. It included the territory of the Crimean Peninsula and the mainland between the lower Dnieper River with the coasts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. It formed after the Taurida Oblast was abolished in 1802 in the course of Paul I's administrative reform of the territories of the former Crimean Khanate annexed by the Russian Empire in 1783. The governorate's centre was the city of Simferopol. The province was named after the ancient Greek name of Crimea - Taurida. Today the territory of the governorate is part of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts of Ukraine, which were annexed by Russia but remain internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.

The Kebir-Jami Mosque (Russian: Кебир-Джами, Ukrainian: Кебір-Джамі, Crimean Tatar: Kebir Cami, Turkish: Kebir Camii) is located in Simferopol, Crimea. Kebir-Jami mosque is a prominent architectural monument in Simferopol and the oldest building in the city.

The State Council of Crimea (Russian: Госуда́рственный Сове́т Респу́блики Крым, romanized: Gosudarstvennyy Sovyet Respubliki Krym, Ukrainian: Державна Рада Республіки Крим, romanized: Derzhavna Rada Respubliky Krym, Crimean Tatar: Къырым Джумхуриетининъ Девлет Шурасы, romanized: Qırım Cumhuriyetiniñ Devlet Şurası) is the parliament of Russian administered Republic of Crimea. It claims to be a continuation of the 'Supreme Council of Crimea' following a vote by the Ukrainian parliament to dissolve the Supreme Council of Crimea. The Parliament is housed in the Parliament building in the centre of Simferopol. Following the events of 2014, Crimea is a territory currently under dispute between Russia and Ukraine with Russia administering the territory but most countries continuing to recognise the territory as Ukrainian. During the period of time in which Crimea was controlled by Ukraine, the Parliament was unable to appoint the Prime Minister of Crimea on its own, being able to appoint him only with the advice and consent of the President of Ukraine. This restriction did not sit well with the Parliament and its constituents, creating a long-standing rift between them and the national government of Ukraine.As the Crimean crisis unfolded, the Parliament building was seized by unidentified pro-Russian gunmen. Under their control, the Parliament removed the incumbent Ukrainian-consented Prime Minister of Crimea and unilaterally appointed Sergey Aksyonov in his stead. The disbandment was also caused by the belief that the Crimean Parliament collaborated with Russian troops in the region against Ukrainian authorities. Days later, the Crimean Parliament reunified its territorial jurisdiction with the city of Sevastopol into a single united nation and unilaterally declared their independence from Ukraine following a referendum. This newly formed nation then acceded to Russia which ultimately transferred the Crimean Parliament under a newly formed federal subject of Russia.

Verkhovna Rada of Crimea or the Supreme Council of Crimea, officially the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was the acting Ukrainian legislative body for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea before the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014. The last election of parliament took place on 31 October 2010 (see 2010 Crimean parliamentary election) and was won by the Party of Regions and the Communist Party of Ukraine. On 27 February 2014, unidentified armed men took over the parliament and hoist the flag of Russia over it. On 15 March 2014 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially dissolved the parliament. On 17 March 2014, one day before the Russian annexation of Crimea, a puppet State Council of Crimea was established in place of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea.

The capture of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on 27 February 2014 is an episode of the Crimean crisis in which Russian armed forces without insignias took over the Crimean Parliament Building, leading to the Russo-Ukrainian War. The Crimean Prosecutor's Office considered the incident a terrorist attack.

The building of the Supreme Council of Crimea (Russian: Здание парламента Крыма; Ukrainian: Будівля Верховної Ради Автономної Республіки Крим) is an administrative building in Simferopol, Crimea. It housed the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and currently hosts the State Council of Republic of Crimea following the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014.

Old Simferopol, known locally as the Old Town (Crimean Tatar: Eski şeer, Ukrainian: Старе місто), is an area of the city of Simferopol which until the end of the 18th century served as the centre of the city of Aqmescit. The old town consists of narrow, short streets constructed in a traditional Turkic style. In the 19th century it was also referred to by travellers as the "Asian town" because of the contrast with Simferopol's other regular, European-style neighbourhoods. Today, some of the neighbouring 19th-century, single-storey, European-style buildings are also considered to be part of the old town. The area is bounded by Lenin, Sevastopol's'ka, Krylov, and Chervonoarmiis'ka streets. The population of the old town is approximately 50,000.The Old Town is unique in Simferopol for its preserved historic architecture and layout. In the 1950s-1970s, many film studios in the Soviet Union used Old Simferopol as a set for films set in historical provincial towns. Today the Old Town suffers from a number of a development problems and remains a point of contention for the Russian-controlled city administration.