Simferopol

Day 548 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

In the heyday of his favorite Crimea club Tavriya Simferopol, supporter Gennady Malakhov went all over Ukraine, watched home games at a packed stadium and even saw the team compete in the Champions League in the early 1990s.

The well-known Serbian director Emir Kusturica arrived today on the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia from Ukraine, to give a concert with his group "Smoking forbidden".They will play together in Yalta.

"I know there are wonderful landscapes and pretty girls in Yalta," he told journalists on his arrival at the regional capital, Simferopol, quoted by RIA Novosti.

Russian construction workers are already building a bridge that will link mainland Russia to the Crimean peninsula which the country incorporated last year.

The news was first announced by a Crimean association called "Simferopol" (the administrative center of Crimea) which posted pictures of the works on Facebook.

An unofficial Turkish delegation is set to visit Crimea to examine alleged human rights violations against Crimean Tatars, but the visit is being delayed until Ankara and Moscow can determine a route for the commission so that Turkey does not imply recognition of Russian control of the peninsula.

Bulgaria's opposition Ataka party will propose to Parliament to recognize the results of Crimea's referendum to join Russia, RIA Novosti has reported.

The Russian news service quoted Ataka leader Volen Siderov as saying on Friday the party "recognizes the referendum and Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation."

A subsidiary of Austrian Raiffeisen Bank International has said it will close all offices in Crimea by mid-April.

According to a statement of the bank, as cited by international news agencies and Sega daily, the last 6 of the total of 32 offices of the bank in Crimea will be closed by April 15.

McDonald's has suspended work at its restaurants in Crimea for "manufacturing reasons", the U.S. fast food chain said on Friday. 

This is the second international company to cease operations this week on the peninsula annexed by Russia.

Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is in the Crimean capital Simferopol on Monday.

This is the highest ranking Russian official to visit the autonomous region, since the referendum on March 16, when Crimea voted to split from Ukraine and join Russia.

Concerns for Crimean Tatars increase

After boycotting the referendum, Crimean Tatars became open targets for the local militia and Russia as well, experts warn.

Demonstrators hold a combination Ukrainian-Crimean-Tatar flag during a rally at Independence Square in Kiev on March 23rd. [AFP]