Session of the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Deputies of fraction "Communist and Democracy" (left), formed a square around the tribune in th Crimean Parliament sitting hall and try to block the way to the deputies of Parliamentary majority after the demonstrative leaving of speaker Leonid Grach from the hall during the Crimean Parliament session on Wednesday, February 21, 2001, in Simferopol city. During the session after the six-hour-long sitting in scorching atmosphere, notwithstanding the opposition of speaker and supporting him communist fraction, deputy majority of 56 votes out of 95 and 35 against passed the Crimean budget - 2001. The budget question was the single one on the session's agenda. The Crimea occurred to be the last region in Ukraine, which remained without a budget till middle February of 2001. Photo by Andrey Kanishchev/ UNIAN