Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving his annual message in the Georgiyevsky Hall of the Kremlin about Crimea and its request to join Russia. Putin said that 97% of the peninsula’s population had voted to join Russia. The president reminded his audience that Duke Vladimir had been baptized in Chersonesus and his deeds had united the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. Putin called Sevastopol the homeland of the Black Sea Fleet.
Putin reminded that millions of people had suffered from repressions. Millions of Tatars had returned to their homeland. Crimea has three equal languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean-Tatar.
Khrushchev handed Crimea over to Ukraine based on constitutional norms.
Putin called the people behind the Ukraine protests nationalists, Russophobes and anti-Semites. He added that there was no legitimate power in Ukraine. Putin denied the deployment of troops in Crimea. Only 25,000 Russian troops are stationed on the peninsula.
The president said the referendum was based on the UN Charter, comparable with the separation of Ukraine from the USSR. International law has no restrictions on a proclamation of independence. Putin reminded that Kosovo was a precedent justifying the events in Crimea. He reminded about actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the colour revolutions, the Arab Spring and the revolution in Ukraine in 2004.
The Russian leader said that a group of militants had been deployed against Ukraine, Russia and post-Soviet space. He reminded that the NATO had lied to Russia and expanded towards the East.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is giving his annual message in the Georgiyevsky Hall of the Kremlin about Crimea and its request to join Russia. Putin said that 97% of the peninsula’s population had voted to join Russia. The president reminded his audience that Duke Vladimir had been baptized in Chersonesus and his deeds had united the Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian peoples. Putin called Sevastopol the homeland of the Black Sea Fleet.Putin reminded that millions of people had suffered from repressions. Millions of Tatars had returned to their homeland. Crimea has three equal languages: Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean-Tatar.Khrushchev handed Crimea over to Ukraine based on constitutional norms.Putin called the people behind the Ukraine protests nationalists, Russophobes and anti-Semites. He added that there was no legitimate power in Ukraine. Putin denied the deployment of troops in Crimea. Only 25,000 Russian troops are stationed on the peninsula.The president said the referendum was based on the UN Charter, comparable with the separation of Ukraine from the USSR. International law has no restrictions on a proclamation of independence. Putin reminded that Kosovo was a precedent justifying the events in Crimea. He reminded about actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the colour revolutions, the Arab Spring and the revolution in Ukraine in 2004.The Russian leader said that a group of militants had been deployed against Ukraine, Russia and post-Soviet space. He reminded that the NATO had lied to Russia and expanded towards the East
