Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, presenting the government's annual report to the State Duma, said that the reunification with Crimea was as important to Russia as the fall of the Berlin Wall was vital to Germany. He said that 2014 was the Year of Crimea for the whole country.
"There are such milestones in the history of each country, which mark the start of a new epoch. For modern Russia it was the year 2014," Medvedev said.
"I am convinced that every Russian, every responsible politician, realized the great importance of this event," he said. "Many saw Crimea's return as the restoration of historical justice, the importance and power of which can be compared with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany or the return of Hong Kong and Macao to China," TASS cited him as saying.
According to Russia's prime minister, such events "always spark a major geopolitical outcry." "The unprecedented political and economic pressure is the payment for our position but the authorities and society realized that there was no other way," he said.
