About what’s going on in Crimea…

Simferopol, Crimea: 15,000 Tatars in Crimea are rallying for the country’s unity, there have been some clashes with the pro-Russian protesters who appeared at noon (the Tatars started at 11 a.m.), now the parliament of Crimea states they have no plans to separate from Ukraine.

Many Crimean Tatars stood alongside Ukrainian protesters in Kiev’s Independence Square.

The question asked by many of you is:

If the majority of the people of Crimea want to join Russia (and I don’t know if that is true or not): why should Crimea not leave Ukraine and join Russia?

Here, one of our frequent readers, Israel Vlad, gives a competent and encompassing answer which we share with you:

Israel Vlad – For the simple reason that:
1) It’s not the majority.

2) The Russians or pro-Russians who exist there came from Russia as part of the long, vast Russian program of populating the Crimea as much as possible with Russians, precisely to have influence in situations like this. [The program was called Russification, or the Russification of Ukraine].

3) The Crimea is NOT Russian. It is Ukrainian. This is recognized internationally in related treaties.

4) The true citizens of Crimea, autochthonous [indigenous], the ones who historically have the true roots there, want to be part of Ukraine, a unified Ukraine. And with good reasons, because Russia, based on its own expansionist and military program (desiring strategic access to Black Sea), tried several times in history to exterminate the Ukrainian citizens of Crimea, among them the real autochthonous peoples. There would be even more Ukrainians there if not for those horrible historic mass murders and deportations.

5) Because for a country like Ukraine, sandwiched inbetween two blocks (Russia and EU), it is very important to have some autonomy as regards traffic by sea (exports and imports), because the world is mostly fed by cargo ships (the cheapest way for international logistics).

6) Because Russia’s military base [in Sevastopol] is rented from Ukraine by Russia, on Ukrainian soil, doesn’t give Russia the right to take advantage of this to incentivize the population against each other and promote division, or to try to occupy a territory which is not legally Russian (as per other territories with resources occupied in the actual Russian federation, in which the vast majority of the citizens don’t recognize Russia’s authority, but for that they are chased, tortured and murdered).

Crimean Ukrainians don’t need that kind of criminal violent repression in the future, nor to live with the pain of being under the rules of the ones who tried to exterminate them. Ukrainians never tried to exterminate the Russians, just tried their whole history to be free and independent, which Russia never allowed). Would you like it yourself?! There are many more guaranties for Russians living there under a Ukrainian government than for Ukrainians under a Russian government. History, past and actual, has already proved this, without any room for doubts.

7) Because the 2nd biggest Port of Ukraine is there. A big part of the Ukrainian economy is directly related to the traffic of it. So this is not exclusively about Crimea, it’s about the whole of Ukraine.

8) Because that’s a nice area for vacations and all Ukrainians love to go there whenever they have a chance.. To lose it under the terms explained above, is not right.

As you see, the explanation is quite simple, but unfortunately there are those who do everything to ignore it, as if it’s not a fact. Feel free to share the truth with those in doubt.