Historically, the topic of Russian information occupation in the post-Soviet space is not well understood. The research conducted by the author suggests that the Russian Federation actively used information and propaganda levers of influence on the population of the peninsula, which became vulnerable to Russian propaganda due to the high level of confidence of information received from Russian radio and television channels, a wide broadcast of Russian content on Ukrainian channels, a small amount of Ukrainian content, alternative sources of information. Emphasizes the key role of the information component of the hybrid threat. The nature of the destructive influence of the information policy of the Russian Federation on the population of the peninsula is considered. During the latent phase of preparation for annexation, there was a powerful propaganda influence not only on the inhabitants of Crimea, but also on the citizens of the Russian Federation, and the long-lasting and large-scale measures of informational and psychological character preceded the direct invasion. The directions of formation of public opinion on the legitimacy of the incorporation of the ARC by the Russian Federation and the facts of the perversion of events and manipulation of the minds of Crimeans at the beginning of 2014 are analyzed.