Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his visit to the Crimean port of Sevastopol on May 9, 2014. Putin's visit to Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in March
President Vladimir Putin on Friday hailed Crimea's return to Russia as a "historic truth" as he made his first visit to the peninsula since Moscow annexed it from Ukraine in March.
"2014 will go down in history... as the year when people living here firmly decided to be together with Russia, thus confirming their loyalty to historic truth," he told a cheering crowd in the port city of Sevastopol.
"Much work remains ahead, but we will overcome all difficulties... because we are together. And that means we are even stronger."