April 17, 2014: On March 21, 2014 the Ukrainian journalist Alexander Gorobets published an
article on his blog on Echo of Moscow website, where he claims that territory of the Crimean Peninsula was not given to Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, but "exchanged" for Taganrog and a large area of Azov Sea coast. In his false statement, the blogger from Kiev writes that "There is one very important detail, which is shyly concealed today. According to Protocol 49, of the Presidium session of the CPSU Central Committee of 25 January 1954, Ukraine at the same time gave in favor of Russian Federation the city of Taganrog and neighboring lands for the total area equal to that of peninsula in the Black Sea".
Taganrog was part of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic for a brief tumultuous period of time in 1921-1924. We have officially inquired at The Russian State Archive of Contemporary History (RGANI), and received certified copies of the above-mentioned document. There is not a mention of any kind of exchange deal as claimed by Mr. Gorobets. The certified copies of the documents may be downloaded courtesy of RGANI, their translation into English was made by Foreign Relation Office, Taganrog Local Government.
