What really happened, and this is simply truth, not 'political', is thus. In 1953 Secretary Krushchov moved the administration, and ONLY the administration, of the Autonomous Republik of Krimea from Moskau to Kiev in Ukraine SSR. This move was totally against SSSR law and regulations which clearly stated that any change of administration location had to be allowed only after a referendum by the citizens of same. This did not happen ergo the move was and is null and void. Nobody worried too much about this little happenstance, after all SSSR was forever, wasn't it. Well, is wasn't, and Sevastopol was never mentioned in this turmoil and ongoing fracas.
Somewhere in the early '90's as SSSR technically ceased to exist and the locals hereabouts were getting restless, a referendum was held with the question of:
Krimea will remain as part of Ukraine, yes or no.
Sevastopol will remain as part of Ukraine, yes or no.
After the 'referendum' Kuchma, the local top dog in Kiev simply announced that the referendum had 'failed' and both entities would remain in Ukraine. No vote tally was ever given but the locals both here and in Krim knew this was a lie hence the relatively low keyed fighting started and continued until 27 February 2014.
The citizens demanded another referendum using UN and Russian rules and regs and this time, with national and international observers at virtually every voting booth on this island and in this city, 96% of Sevastopolets and 95% of Krimeans voted to return to Russia. I attended this election and I must say I've never seen such an aboveboard and legal vote in all the years I've been on this rock hurtling through space.
Of interest is that on or about 28 February 2014 a report came in that 'someone' was burning papers at the City Zags Office. Zags is where all births, deaths, marriages, current verified address of living quarters, most everything involved in life...including all the ballots with tallies after any vote of any kind, are stored under lock and key.
By the time 'we' got there and put a stop to this destruction enough ballots had been burned, roughly 15%, that defacto the vote was null and void, it would be impossible to get an accurate and verifiable count of the ballots. The fools doing the conflagration were armed but surrendered instantly when they figured out our lads were armed, too.
Since everyone down to the pet cats and dogs knew Kuchma had falsified the original referendum it was a given that on Nahximov Square in City Center on 24 February 2014 the citizens had already decided to oust the current government, installed their own and petitioned Moskau to be accepted in to Russian Federation.
My wife has told me in clinical detail of what happened to her life as SSSR collapsed. To say 'times were rough' is an understatement of vast proportions. She went to bed one evening a happy single lady with a good education, excellent vocation and some money in the bank and woke the next morning with her company gone along with her job and her bank gone along with her money. It is not a pretty story but she never gave up, never quit and ended up doing rather well. And then she met me.....