The widespread international condemnation of the annexation of Crimea by Russia in March 2014 is at odds with the strong local support for the transfer of territory in the peninsula. Though regarded as illegitimate by most governments as indicated in a UN General Assembly vote, the Russian government argued that the transfer was justified since it reflected the majority opinion in Crimea. The examination of attitudes in December 2014 through a representative survey in Crimea confirmed the support for territorial transfer and indicated that most residents believed that their well-being would improve as a result.

For example, in a Ukraine-wide survey conducted in 2013, Pop-Eleches and Robertson found that a majority of Crimeans responded to the question "what is your homeland" by naming their region (i.e. Crimea) ahead of Ukraine, the Soviet Union or Russia.