During the Russian occupation of Crimea, on 15 March 2014 at about 13:30, some Russian Airborne Troops (40 riflemen) advanced on the village. The village is located on the Arabat Spit and is geographically a part of Crimea, however administratively it is in the Kherson Oblast. Russian paratroopers landed in the village during the 2014 Crimea Crisis, marking the first time Russian forces advanced into mainland Ukraine as prior to this Russian troops operated only in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The soldiers stated that they missed their landing zone and landed in the village by accident and proceeded to retreat to the gas distribution terminal located near the village. Ukraine for the first time during the conflict placed its air forces on alert and air lifted its own unit of paratroopers to the area. Russian forces retreated from the center of the village but maintained the occupation of the gas distribution center, Russian forces stated that the gas distribution center may be vulnerable to a terrorist attack and needed to be secured. As of October 2014 Ukrainian border guards and a volunteer territorial defense battalion were stationed in the village. Russian forces maintained a company of 150 troops which are also supported by a gunboat. The area did not experience any fighting since the Russian takeover of the offshore gas platforms near the village. However, border guards were instructed to not allow people whose Russian passport have been issued in Crimea to pass, as well as to inspect vehicles for possible Russian contraband. The small force deployed to the village was also designated to slow a possible advance of Russian troops into Kherson, while a large contingent of Ukrainian forces was stationed at Novooleksiivka and Henichesk, about 20 miles north along the Arabat Spit. On 9 December 2014 Ukraine's border guards reported that Russian troops began withdrawing from southern Kherson Oblast, ending the 9-month-long occupation. Despite the withdrawal Russian troops still occupied the gas distribution center outside the village. The Arabat Spit and the Syvash areas of Crimea were the remaining territories of the peninsula that were under direct Ukrainian control until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gallery See also Chongar References External links Villages in Henichesk Raion Spa towns in Ukraine