The legislature of the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol ruled at an emergency session on Thursday that Sevastopol would become a part of Russia.
“First, the city of Sevastopol will join the Russian Federation as a constituent of the Russian Federation. Second, it will support the decision adopted by the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to participate in Crimea’s referendum, set for March 16, 2014,” the Sevastopol city council said in a statement, which was posted on its website.
The legislature also voted in favor of forming a 17-member commission in charge of holding the referendum and ordered the financial directorate of the Sevastopol city administration to allocated funds for the plebiscite from the city budget.
The Sevastopol Coordinating Council for the City Infrastructure, for its part, said on its website that people had started to gather outside the city legislature building long before Thursday’s session.
During the March 16 referendum, Crimean citizens will give their view on the region’s future status.
