It has been developed over the years: about 2.3 trillion rubles have been invested in the Crimean economy over 12 years

In the 12 years since reunification with Russia, Crimea and Sevastopol have changed significantly: new investment projects are being implemented here, production of their own products is growing, new jobs are being created, and salaries are increasing. Vladimir Putin said this on March 18 at a meeting with the government. Since 2014, about 1.3 trillion rubles have been allocated from the budget for the development of Crimea and Sevastopol, and extra-budgetary investments exceeded 1 trillion by the end of 2025. There are successes in the social sphere as well. Thus, the commissioning of residential and commercial real estate in Crimea increased by 27% last year. Which social facilities were opened right during the meeting, and which important road will be completed in Crimea by the end of the year — in the Izvestia article.

How much money was spent on the development of Crimea

Vladimir Putin held a meeting with members of the government on March 18. It took place on the 12th anniversary of the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia. At that time, 97% of the peninsula's residents voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation in a referendum.

— And this choice is unchangeable and unshakable. It is dictated by the fate of our Fatherland, has become one of the most important, without any exaggeration, and perhaps the defining milestones in its thousand—year history, a symbol of the unity, will and cohesion of our entire multinational people," said Vladimir Putin.

Over the past 12 years, the government has spent about 1.3 trillion rubles on solving socio-economic issues on the peninsula, the president noted. And the volume of extra-budgetary investments by the end of 2025 exceeded 1 trillion rubles, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said during the meeting.

New investment projects are being implemented on the peninsula, production is improving, jobs are being created, and wages are rising. This, among other things, is facilitated by the work of the free economic zone established in the region, in which more than 1.6 thousand residents have already been registered, Vladimir Putin noted.

— Of course, the free economic zone has played a huge role — 130,000 jobs have been created thanks to this mechanism. The work carried out affects the growth of tax and non—tax revenues of regional budgets, which have increased more than fivefold compared to 2015," said Marat Khusnullin.

The business situation in Crimea has really changed dramatically by 2026: the local economy has become self-sufficient, is actively growing, attracting investments, and has relied on localization of production, Natalia Poluyanova, a member of the State Duma Committee on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, told Izvestia. The gross regional product has grown almost 3.6 times compared to 2015, and the number of enterprises has more than doubled. The main drivers are government projects, tourism, construction and industry.

— The Republic of Crimea was among the five Russian regions with the highest cumulative economic growth rates. The achieved indicators confirm the effectiveness of the policy aimed at attracting investments and creating a favorable business climate. This creates the basis for further building up the economic potential and provides a more confident forecast for the development of Crimea in the future," the deputy told Izvestia.

There have been significant successes in the social sphere. Last year, the commissioning of residential and non-residential real estate in Crimea and Sevastopol increased by 27% and reached 2.6 million square meters, said Marat Khusnullin. The transport infrastructure in Crimea and Sevastopol is also developing: since 2014, 760 billion rubles have been allocated for it. 52.5% of all regional roads have been brought to the standards, and by 2030 this figure is planned to reach 60%, the Deputy Prime Minister promised. The construction of the Alushta bypass will be completed at the end of 2026.

New facilities for the anniversary of reunification

Crimea and Sevastopol continue to develop at an active pace, despite the difficult geopolitical situation and constant attacks by Ukrainian UAVs, Khusnullin noted. And Vladimir Putin confirmed that new facilities for transport and engineering infrastructure, energy supply, industry, education and healthcare are being restored and are being built.

Some of them were opened right during the meeting. For example, the federal children's rehabilitation center of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in Yevpatoria has 300 beds. It will provide specialized high-tech assistance to children with diseases of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, sensory organs and somatic diseases.

The second facility is a new indoor ice rink with artificial ice in Sevastopol. The head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, got in touch from there. He noted that in Sevastopol, where there is no stable snow cover, it is problematic to equip outdoor skating rinks, and this facility will raise ice sports to a new level. The new building has an ice arena with stands for 750 spectators. The palace will allow year-round mass skating for everyone and training of sports sections in hockey, figure skating and curling.

— This is the first city ice in Sevastopol. This is a full-fledged three-storey palace, 10 thousand square meters. In addition to ice, there are all the necessary halls: for choreography, gyms, locker rooms. In other words, this is a full—fledged ice sports palace, which will allow us to hold competitions at both the regional and interregional levels within, at least, the Southern Federal District," Mikhail Razvozhaev said.

In addition, reconstructed sewage treatment plants were opened in the village of Almond in the urban district of Sudak. They will significantly reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater. This will improve the environment, which is under additional strain during the summer months, when millions of tourists come to the peninsula's resorts, Vladimir Putin said.

Among other things, there are plans to build 24 more sewage treatment plants in Crimea, which are urgently needed during the tourist season. Three more will appear in Sevastopol. The main work at Sevastopol's sewage treatment plants is scheduled to be completed in 2027, Marat Khusnullin confirmed. By the way, the tourist flow to Crimea has doubled since 2014 and reached 7.4 million people. In 2025 alone, it grew by 1.1 million. At the same time, the number of hotel rooms in the republic increased 2.3 times, and in Sevastopol — 2.4 times.