Mussel Farm

New Lake (Ukr). Novoozerne, Crimean-tat. Novoozörnoye) is an urban-type settlement in the west of the Crimean Peninsula, located near the Donuzlav Bay.

According to the administrative-territorial division of Russia, which actually controls the disputed territory of Crimea, the settlement is included in the urban district of Yevpatoria of the Republic of Crimea. According to the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine, which controlled the territory of the peninsula until 2014, Novozernoye is included in the Evpatoria City Council, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Located on the shores of Donuzlav Bay. On the territory of the village is the Donuzlav wind power plant, until 2014 on the territory of Novozernoye was located the Southern naval base of Ukraine, which is now under the control of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The earliest traces of human presence in the area of modern Novoozerny were discovered by archaeologist Pavel Nikolaevich Schulz. On the shores of Lake Donuzlav, sites related to the end of the Copper Age and the Bronze Age were investigated. There are also monuments of later times. Probably, the Cimmerian (9-8 centuries BC) remains of residential and economic structures with fragments of ceramics, bones of domestic animals and other monuments were found near the village of Vladimirovka. Burials of tribes of Kizil-Kobin culture (5-4 centuries BC) were discovered near the village of Vodopoyny.
In the future, the history of this area was associated with the ancient Greek cities of Kerkinitida, Kalos Limen and Chersonesos. In the Middle Ages, the path from the Varangians to the Greeks passed through the territory of Novozerny. Also carried out the return to Kiev part of the army of Vladimir Svyatoslavich after his campaign in Chersonese. On the territory of the modern Novozerny before was the village of Ibrash-Eli with its mosque, which existed until the end of the XIX century.

The modern history of the settlement is associated with the creation in the 1960s of the bay of a large sea military port. However, the main prerequisite for the construction of Novozernoy was the connection of Lake Donuzlav with the Black Sea, as a result of which the lake turned into a convenient port. The idea of building a port in Donuzlav was put forward by the head of the Yevpatori seaport Sergey Gavrilovich Balabanov. In those years, the Black Sea Shipping Company suffered from a lack of cargo ports. In Odessa, a project of a port and a city with a population of 30,000 people was developed. It was planned to build a railway line from Evpatoria and three cargo stations, power supply facilities, and treatment facilities. If a new port were to emerge, it would be the third longest berthing in the world. But by the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Donuzlav was transferred to the Ministry of Defense of the USSR to create part of the Crimean naval base. Civil sailors got only a section of the Yevpatoria port, engaged in the extraction of sand from the bottom of the lake.
In October 1965, the first warships – small anti-submarine ships IPC-8 and IPC-110 of the 307th division of the 20th division of the OVR water area protection were redeployed from Poti. In accordance with the directive of the command, the crew was sent to the waters of Donuzlav to determine a new location and create a reserve strategic command post of the fleet.

In November 1971, the construction of housing began, the first was built five-storey house No. 8 on the current avenue of Heroes of the Paratroopers. In 1972, Novozernoye by the decision of the Saki District Executive Committee was decorated as a village of the Saki district of the Crimean region of the Ukrainian SSR. The name of the settlement was discussed at the competition, where various names were proposed, including Steppe, Lake, Valley of Winds and City on the Lake. In 1972, the village was given its current name. In 1977, Novozernoye received the status of an urban-type settlement in , the development of the village was carried out on the model of Soviet town-planning practice of the second half of the XX century. By 1974, a hostel, a hotel and a middle one were built, in 1977 a kindergarten was built. By 1983, 32 houses had been built in the village. In February 1980, the Town Council of People's Deputies was formed.

Headquarters of the Southern Naval Base of Ukraine

During the Soviet period, Novozernoye remained a closed military settlement, free access to which by outsiders was limited. It was home to servicemen and civilian specialists of the Black Sea Fleet and their families.

In 1992, the construction of the current Donuzlav wind farm, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the village, began.
In the early 1990s, at the berths of the military port, associations and parts of amphibious landing, patrol, reconnaissance and rescue, hydrographic and auxiliary ships were based.

Sea minesweeper "Cherkasy" during exercises in 2009

In 1991, in connection with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the division of the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR between Ukraine and Russia began. The process of division of the fleet lasted from 1992 to 1997. After the division of the Black Sea Fleet, the military base based on the territory of Novoozernoye passed to Ukraine.[17] On July 9, 1996, the unit was transformed into the Southern Maritime District of the Ukrainian Navy.[17] It included military authorities, ships, ships, military units and units with bases throughout the Crimea. In August 1997, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma visited the village. In the summer of 1997, the military base took part in the first in the history of Ukraine international exercises Sea-Breeze with the involvement of ships and vessels of the United States, Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania. In 1998, Novozernoye was visited on a friendly visit by the crews and cadets of two training ships of the Turkish Navy. In 2003, during the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Southern Marine District was reorganized into the Southern Naval Base. In October 2009, large-scale military tactical exercises were held in the immediate vicinity of Novoozernoye. The actions of the army were observed by President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergey Kirichenko, Commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine Igor Tenyukh, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Secretariat Yuri Yekhanurov, Petro Shatkovsky, Anatoly Gritsenko, Viktor Plakida and Leonid Zhunko were also present at the exercises. The exercises involved ships and auxiliary vessels, marines and naval aviation. Land forces were represented by army aviation and armored vehicles. On December 25, 2009, the Council approved the flag and coat of arms of Novozerny.