On Monday, March 17, the Crimean Parliament officially declared the region's independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of Russia after a referendum, which revealed people's support for it.

      With all ballots counted, some 96.7 percent of voters in the southern Ukrainian region had backed reunification with Russia after 60 years as part of Ukraine.

      The officilals of the Crimean peninsula, with a Russian ethnic majority, have sent a formal request to Moscow to join Russia while preserving its status as a republic, the parliament said in a statement.

      The Crimean parliament declared independence last week ahead of the referendum, promising that if the measure passed the de facto independent government would immediately request annexation by Russia.

      “The republic of Crimea appeals to the United Nations and to all countries of the world to recognize it as an independent state, established by the Crimean people,” a document approved on Monday by the parliament declared.

      Several members of the Crimean parliament are also expected to visit Moscow on Monday to discuss the procedures required for Crimea to become part of Russia.

      The Crimean parliament also voted on Monday to change the clock in the republic to Moscow time on March 30 and introduce the Russian ruble as an official currency and abandon Ukraine’s hryvnia by January 2016.