Latest update: 18/09/2008 

- independence - Russia - Ukraine


Russian-Crimeans who dream of independence
The majority of people in Crimea, an autonomous region of the Ukraine, are Russian. If Ukraine joins NATO, the pro-Russian Crimean movement, galvanized by Russia's recent show of power in Georgia, will claim their region's independence.

Here are the headquarters of the "Ruski Bloc", a pro-Moscow political party based in Crimea. With Russian flags under their arms, activists are off to demonstrate against the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.

Crimea is the only region within Ukraine which has a majority of Russians among the population. Some would like to break away from the country. Pro-Russian movements in Crimea have been galvanized by Russia’s recent show of power in Georgia. If NATO opens its doors to Ukraine, these movements threaten to turn to Moscow for help.

Soviet songs. Soviet red, Russian flags are handed out to the crowd. It’s hard to believe that this is Ukraine. Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia: demonstrators hope this will one day be the case for Crimea.

“Declaring the independence of Crimea”: communists say this is what they’ll do if Ukraine engages in the NATO membership plan next December. “No to NATO in Ukraine and in Crimea!” the message is pounded, speaker after speaker. All are convinced Moscow would back them up if the Ukrainian president was to behave like Georgia did and go against Russia’s strategic interests in the region.

Nobody here explicitly talks about a possible armed conflict in Crimea, but all are anxiously waiting for the 1st of October: on this day Ukraine and Russia will decide if they prolong the friendship treaty which has united them since 1997.

Comments (13)

Russian people

If Russian Crimeans wish to be independent let them be as Ukraine has it right to do it and Russia granted for free to it, right now Russia has to react energically because of agressive actions of Bush against Russia, if Bush did’nt put his hands around Russia it did’nt counteract since the collapse of Soviet Union, Neither Medvedev or Putin are the innocent Yeltsin, Russians feel very stressed because of Bush actions and Medvedev has to react, Russia has to be respected, Russia tried to be friend of the U.S., Russia removed its bases from Bulgaria and another countries in return of violent actions against Russia, and Russians feel threatened, we know here in Latin America the U.S govt., the first victims of it were the American Indians, later was Mexico on which U.S. government declared war on us, the chilean elected Salvador Allende was killed by CIA and they put the dictator Pinochet, right now there is a war on Iraq, in which puppet Saakashvili has sent troops to Iraq, and now Georgia is target of Islamic terrorism as it was Spain with the terrorists acts in Madrid, and there are many muslims in Georgia and I think that possibly another Kosovo could emerge in the Georgian province of Kvemo Kartli where it is populated mostly by Azerbaijanis because of their higher birth rate have surpassed Georgians and this is worrying because another conflict will emerge and Bush is not considering the abuse of human rights against Armenians in Javakhk where they don´t have the right of using their language, and what about the complot against the poor president Indian Evo Morales of Bolivia, where the U.S embassador Phillip S. Goldberg was the commissioner in Bosnia and Kosovo , Goldberg is a destroyer and Bush is a lier.

It’s not like that

RE:Gabriela
So, let San Diego be part of Mexico if somebody wants to, right? It’s not like that.
One cannot reshape history and borders b/c some ambitious politicians want it.
As of past of Russia, I am sure lot of countries appreciated the role of great Russia, but those were different days and different arraignments.
Today, nobody wants to be a friend with a state that governs with KGB rules.
Ideally, there should not even be the borders in the world b/c people strive for prosperity and least they want is a war, just few have different agendas.

If Crimeans want to be in Russia, let them be part of it

Nobody in the world said that because there are some Russians in Brighton Beach it must be annexed to Russia, it was never part of Russia and is a neiborhood, this is ridiculous. Crimea was conquered by the Russian empire from the Turks, but it will not be the Russian government which will rejoin it, Russian Crimeans will do it by declaring independence. The tradition says that while Olympic Games are developing, nations must abstain military activities and it was in the opening of the Olympic games when the whole world was distracted when Saakashvili attacked South Ossetia and 1500 died and it was with the approval of criminal Bush, if Russia did’tnt react it were accused of not defending people. Criminal bush is creating an artificial crisis . Georgia should be thankful to Russia because of the treaty of Georgievsk or Georgiyevsk (signed by Herakle II), which made them part of Russia and saved them from Persian and Turk rule and maybe from a genocide like Armenian's. Georgia and Russia have the same religion, the intromission of Bush is the problem, Ukraine and Russsia have the same origin, both can´t exist without eachother, but criminal Bush puts its hands by facing Yushenko against Russia, and if Crimeans want to be in Russia let them, Bush is the problem, Bulgaria was liberated by Russian soldiers and volunteers from the Turkish Empire, and now Bulgaria is member of anti-russian NATO because of criminal Bush, Russians gave independence to all ex-soviet countries in return of accepting them in NATO and threaten Russia?, everything was peace until Bush came, the weapons of mass destruction were never found, the war on Iraq was provoked by Bush ambitions for Oil, independence for Crimea, Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan and Srpska from Bosnia, and human rights for Javakhk must be established.

Crimea

The fact that majority of Crimeans are Russians does not give Russia authority to sabotage Crimea and declare as its own territory.

Would Russia do the same with Brighton Beach Brooklyn, NY ? There are thousands of Russians in Brooklyn, so lets declare the independence and join Russia, sure.

An agreement

I'm completely agree with it. Rusian peopl have nothing against Georgians, or Ukraineans, or Americans. All of the wars are started by the politicians. Bush is the agressor in that case, Saakhashvili is only his "servant", if I could say so. They are want to get our recources, our territory... what do they want? Georgia had started the war in South Ossetia and expected our country to be weak, our President and Prime minister to be the cowards? They must only read again the historical reports about the Great Patrioic War in 1941-1945. Russia has a great power, it's in our people, they'll protect their country untill they die. There's no anything strange in the fact that Crimea, Abkhazia, South Ossetia want to be with us and that other powerful countries are afraid of us.

Crimea must be Russsian

Crimea is populated by Russians and must rejoin Russsia, if Ukraine joins NATO it will accelerate the process, here the problem is that NATO is surrounding Russia, Russians feel threatened, learn to Finland, Finland is a neutral country and has good relationships with Russia and the west, If Russia is atacked Russia will atack; the U.S. government is the most hypocrite government in the world; they almost eliminated American Indians; they made war on Mexico it lost a huge territory, made war on Spain and took away from it Philippines and Puerto Rico, where are the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?, they were never found, Bush wants to enclose and Russians feel fear. NATO must disappear and be replaced by an European Army, I can't imagine Latin America full of U.S. bases and the U.S. government is plotting against Latinamerican presidents :Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina, if Abkhazians and South Ossetians don't want to belong to Georgia let them free, as the U.S, let go Kosovo, Saakashvili is an opressor that crushes opposition, he discriminates Armenians in the province of Javakheti (Javakhk for armenians), they have no right to use Armenian language, they are repressed, Independence for or at least autonomy for Javakhk, Javakhk needs the help of the world, unilaterism is bad the world needs multipolarism, U.S. government wants to destroy Russia by all means but Russian people will not allow it, U.S. government wants to kill Russians as they killed American Indians and that government wants to take power of Russian resources. I wish Independence for Crimea, Srpska and Nagorno Karabakh. American people is nice but its government is pathetic, Bush is a lier, ignorant and criminal.

Regarding

Thanks, but... even it is so, that people from Krym are mostly Russian, you think that it will be let me use this word "suitable" to go for Krym. Russia would have to do it via military conflic, there is no other way. I believe, that military way is not a way to go. I can agree, that Russia is very important agent in politics, and I personally disagree with situation when, when Kosovo sets apart everyone say "yes", when Osetia, or Crimea gos for setting apart, everyone say "no", because it is frankly speeking not fair. I see that russian politics cant stand it more, to be treated as boys in this game, especially that Russia is a major player. Hope it helps to see my point.

The answer.

You can't compare Crimea with Kainingrad. We have only water border with it, and the Crimea was our territory . There would be no problem of that kind, I think. And let's listen to the population of the Crimea. Of course I understand that the territory is the power, and we'll never get Crimea without a conflict.
And what about slavity... As I can see, the aim of all those actions against Russia is to frighten our people, our Presdent, our country. I think it's usless, it'll never be so.

to Lady Russia

What do you exacly mean, that Russia is not slavish country, and will never be so??? I can not understand it?? In which sense Russia could be so?? Military?? Economics?? Politics?? No Irony in this comment towards you.
Another one, how do you recon it should be resolved, at least geografical, with Krym? like satelite Kaliningrad district? Bring it more. One think more, cant speak or read russian, there is no info about it in english versions of Pravda or Russia Toaday, why it is so?? all the best

Russian power

So, we all know what you think of our country. It would be fair to say that when our country was in its deepest crisis before Putin's coming, the whole world payed no atention to our country at all. With Putin our country became powerful again,that's why some countries I won't name are afraid of us. Russia wll never be the slavish country. Others may invent any unreal stories about our "aggression", which is imaginary of course. Evrything'll come to its place soon. Those who want to be with Russi will be. Thse who're against will put up with it anyhow.

Crimea

HERE WE GO!NOW ITS OBVIOUS,THE RUSSIANS PROBLEM, SUFFERRING FROM PARANOID, LANDS OCUPACY,THIS IS TERRIBLE ILLNESS.
IF SOMEBODY ASKS RUSSIANS WHICH LAND IS YOURS ?THEY WOULD DRAW WHOLE MAP AND CLAME ITS BELONG THEM.
AND I SEE THAT YOU ARE VERY GOOD EDUCATED LIKE YOUR PUTIN .TO NAME OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA INDEPENDET COUNTRIES.IN OSSETIA APPROXIMATELY REAL OLD POPULATION ARE ONLY 4000 AND REST RUSSIAN SOLDERS AND OSETIAN SEPARATISTS. I AM WONDERING WHAT MONEY CURRENCY WOULD HAVE ABHKAZIA AND OSSETIA AND WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE THEIR MONEY IN STOCK MARKET BY ANY COUNTRIES GOVERMENT?
MAY BE BY NICARAGUA.
SO NOBODY WHATS TO LISTEN RUSSIAN "BS" ALL WORLD KNOWS WHAT IS RUSSIA CAPEBLE.

Crimea is Russian

Yes, as well as Ukraine had the right to be independent, Crimea which is populated by Russians has to claim its independence too, and re-joining Russia, it was Russia the one that took Crimea from the Turkish Empire, it was not Ukraine, It was always a part of Russia, even in the USSR, Until 1954 it was given to Ukraine, the independent sentiment does not involves communist only but also Russian Crimeans in general, i have no doubt Crimea will be Russian again.

The Crimea

Everyone in Russia knows that Crimea was a part of Russia. It's a historical fact! That's bad of the Ukraine to deny it... We hope it'll be Russian territory again. Maybe no South Ossetia and Abkhazia, they're independent, not for Georga as well. But all the people in Crimea must be Russian people!

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