Executive Order on recognising Republic of Crimea 2014-03-17 22:30:00 Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order On Recognising the Republic of Crimea. The Executive Order reads, in part: “Given the declaration of will by the Crimean people in a nationwide referendum held on March 16, 2014, the Russian Federation is to recognise the Republic of Crimea as a sovereign and independent state, whose city of Sevastopol has a special status.” The Executive Order comes into force on the day of its signing.