Sevastopol

Sevastopol or traditionally Sebastopol (Ukrainian: Севастополь; Russian: Севасто́поль; Crimean Tatar: Акъяр, Aqyar; Greek: Σεβαστούπολη, Sevastoupoli) is the largest city on the Crimean Peninsula and a major Black Sea port. The city is administered as a federal city of the Russian Federation following Crimea's annexation by Russia in 2014, though Ukraine and most of the UN member countries continue to regard Sevastopol as a city with special status within Ukraine.

Sevastopol has a population of 393,304 (2014 Census), concentrated mostly near the Bay of Sevastopol and surrounding areas. The location and navigability of the city's harbors have made Sevastopol a strategically important port and naval base throughout history. The city has been a home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is why it was considered as a separate city in Crimea of significant military importance and was therefore once a closed city.

Sevastopol in Joe Steele
In 1941 during World War II, German forces laid siege to Sevastopol.