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Around 50 pro-Russia demonstrators rallied in the Crimean capital of Simferolpol. A monument to World War II stands in the background. A poster reads, ‘Kiev, Stop Crime at Home.’
Lawmakers in Crimea called a March 16 referendum on whether to split from Ukraine and join Russia, flouting pleas from the West.
“This is our response to the disorder and lawlessness in Kiev,” Sergei Shuvainikov, a member of the local Crimean legislature, said. “We will decide our future ourselves.”
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The politicians also endorsed joining Russia with their own 78-0 vote with eight abstentions Thursday.
The strategically important peninsula with historic ties to Russia remains under the control of armed Russian servicemen that had seized airports, ports, and Ukrainian military outposts.
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The pro-Russia demonstrators echoed Vladimir Putin, holding signs denouncing the ‘fascists’ who seized power in Kiev.
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The new Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk government called the decision to hold the referendum an “illegitimate decision.”
“Crimea was, is and will be an integral part of Ukraine,” he said.
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But measures in preparation for the split were already underway.
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Cossacks were met with open arms during the protest in Simferopol.
Around 11,000 Russian forces blockading a Ukrainian military airbase near the regional capital of Sevastopol had stopped giving ultimatums, and were instead offering apartment to Ukrainian troops who pledged allegiance to Russia, The Washington Post reported.
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And in Moscow a prominent member of Russia’s parliament introduced a bill to expedite the process of allowing Crimea to become part of the country.
Even the referendum itself had been fast-tracked.
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Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk called the decision to hold an referendum on Crimea joining Russia ‘illegitimate.’
A previous — now seemingly irrelevant — referendum on whether Crimea should enjoy “state autonomy” within Ukraine had been scheduled for March 30.
Secretary of State Kerry and other Western leaders have joined Ukraine’s central government in calling for Russia to withdraw from Crimea.
Yatsenyuk, in Brussels for a summit regarding sanctions against Russia, said the referendum was another example of President Vladimir Putin continuing to stir up trouble.
“We ask Russia to respond whether they are ready to preserves peace and stability in Europe or (whether) they are ready to instigate another provocation and another tension in our bilateral and multilateral relations,” Yatsenyuk said.
SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA
Students in Kiev rallied in support of Crimea remaining part of their country, holding signs that read ‘One Ukraine.’
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In Simferopol around 50 people rallied outside the local parliament in the morning waving Russian and Crimean flags.
One posters at the rally read “Russia, defend us from genocide,” echoing Putin’s justification for moving into the region that he said was under threat from the “fascists” who ousted fugitive Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
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“We are tired of revolutions, maidans and conflicts and we want to live peacefully in Russia,” said one of the bystanders at the gathering, Igor Urbansky, 35.
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Yatsenyuk said the referendum in Crimea was another example of President Vladimir Putin trying to stir up trouble in the restive region.
“Only Russia can give us a peaceful life.”
Maidan is the name of the downtown square in Kiev where tens of thousands of protesters gathered for months before successfully forcing Yanukovych to flee to Russia.
Nearly 100 people died in the process.
Not everyone in Crimea bought into Putin’s message.
“This is crazy. Crimea has become Putin’s puppet,” said Viktor Gordiyenko, 46. “A referendum at gunpoint of Russia weapons is just a decoration for Putin’s show. A decision on occupation has already been made.”
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