Throughout its history, Crimea has often been an arena of conflict. In the XVIII century it was the Crimean War. Then Crimea became the scene of hostilities in the Russian civil war, as well as in World War II. Today, Crimea is at the center of ongoing tensions between East and West. Throughout World War II, Crimea was a microcosm of the more general war on the Eastern Front, reflecting all the features of this conflict.