Dynamics of the social and economic development of Crimea (IV quarter of 2020)
The Federal Target Program (FTP) entitled "Social and Economic Development of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol until 2024" and the regional special purpose investment program continue to be implemented in Crimea.
Energy and infrastructure
In 2020, "Krymenergo" enterprise completed the construction of electric power grids ensuring a full output of Tavricheskaya TPP into the peninsula's power system. There is an ongoing gas infrastructure development in populated areas – gas is now supplied to houses in the village of Morskoye (Sudak municipality), and gas supply system has been put into operation in the villages of Golubinka and Nizhniaya Golubinka of Bakhchysaray region. Sewage disposal and utility plants are under reconstruction. Construction of a total of 68 facilities was completed in 2020 as part of the FTP (304 facilities have been reconstructed since 2014).
Water management
As part of the Russian Government's comprehensive plan to ensure a reliable water supply to the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, efforts are being made to overcome "water blockade" on the peninsula – some 50 billion roubles were transferred in addition to six billion roubles allocated earlier. Preparations for the construction of a desalination plant started on December 21, 2020 in Saky region. Similar facilities are planned to be built in Yalta, and their construction in Sudak, Kerch and Feodosia is now under consideration.
Socially important facilities
A multipurpose healthcare center named after Nikolai Semashko was commissioned in October 2020 in the vicinity of Simferopol. Five kindergartens with a total capacity of 1,110 children and a school for 250 students were built in 2020 as part of "Demography" and "Education" national projects. There is an ongoing construction of about 100 educational facilities with a capacity of 20,000 seats.
Housing
Implementation of major transport and energy infrastructure projects has led to a significant increase in housing construction. The first phase of the "Dobrogorod" housing estate construction was completed on October 15, 2020, in Simferopol (total residential area is 100,000 square meters, number of apartments is 1,979, and the entire neighborhood is 13 hectares). The housing estate will be equipped with new utilities and its own boiler station; construction of a primary school with a capacity of 240 seats and a kindergarten with a capacity of 220 children is underway. In late December 2020, seven 9‑storey buildings with a total area of more than 20,000 square meters were delivered in Simferopol.
Tourism and recreation
6.3 million tourists holidayed in Crimea in 2020. In nine months of 2020, tourist sector brought Crimea almost 2.3 billion roubles in tax revenues. A new trend is an autumn surge in tourism – 1.15 million tourists holidayed in Crimea in September and 427,000 people in October, which is 40 and 31 per cent more, respectively, than in the same periods of 2019.
4.5 million cars passed over the Crimean Bridge in 2020. Over one million passengers crossed the Crimean Bridge by rail; freight traffic by rail increased by 161 per cent compared to 2019.
Simferopol International Airport received 4.63 million passengers in 2020 (16 airlines operated flights to Simferopol from 57 destinations). Flights to Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and Pskov were resumed. A new destination is a direct flight to Vladivostok.
Sanatorium and resort sector has a bright outlook. Foros Wellness&Park sanatorium in Yalta won "The Best Sanatorium" category of the National Hotel Awards in 2020. A total of more than 160 applications from 56 Russian cities were submitted for the Award.
Culture
In October 2020, the remains of 155 French soldiers, who fell during the assault of Sevastopol in 1854-1855, were reburied on the Memorial French Cemetery as part of the "Crimea – Sevastopol 2020" project of the Foundation for the Development of Russian-French Historical Initiatives.
On October 25, 2020, a monument to Amet-Khan Sultan, twice Hero of the Soviet Union and legendary Crimean Tatar pilot from Alupka, was unveiled in Simferopol. The event was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the pilot's birth. On November 28, 2020, a monument to General Pyotr Kotliarevsky, created on the initiative of the Russian Military Historical Society, was unveiled on the seafront promenade of Feodosia.
On November 25, 2020, the Swallow's Nest Castle was opened for visitors following a major restoration (works on the site began in 2016-2017).
Opening of the Radio House in Simferopol on December 16, 2020, was a significant step in the development of the media landscape of the Republic of Crimea. Three radio stations are now housed in a high-tech complex – "Radio Krym" (Crimea Radio), "More" (Sea), "Tochka" (Point), and the editorial office of "Krym 24" (Crimea 24) news portal.
International engagement of Crimea
Opening of the office of Honorary Consul of the Republic of Nicaragua on November 10, 2020, is an important development in terms of overcoming the peninsula's international isolation. Opening of the first foreign diplomatic mission in the territory of the region, following the reunification of the peninsula with Russia, is not only a positive contribution into the development of Russian-Nicaraguan relations, but also a good example for other countries demonstrating the viability of mutually beneficial cooperation with Crimea.