Thread: Crimea joining the Russian Federation and its implications?

Sorry could someone explain please, do the Russians or the Crimean people want to unite? Or is this just a governmental power struggle?

Originally Posted by Twonkybot

Sorry could someone explain please, do the Russians or the Crimean people want to unite? Or is this just a governmental power struggle?

Twonkybot, it seems you live in informational vacuum.
I hope you know (or don't?) that the referendum about consolidation is finished. Results of this referendum: attendance is 83.01%, 97.47% of the people of Crimea voted for the uniting. More information (Russian): Референдум о статусе Крыма (2014)
I know it's hard to believe that Russian people can do something different, unlike European propaganda has been portraying them for the last 500 years.

Originally Posted by Twonkybot

Sorry could someone explain please, do the Russians or the Crimean people want to unite? Or is this just a governmental power struggle?

I think it is all very complex. The Crimeans are about 60 per cent ethnic Russians, 15 percent Crimean Tatars, 20 percent Ukrainians and 5 percent other ethnic groups. The Crimean Tatars are the native peoples of Crimea, but the peninsula has a history of several hundred years being part of the Russian Empire. In 1944 the Tatars were deported en mass into the remote regions of Central Asia as a collective punishment by the Soviet regime which the Tatars strongly associate with Russians. Only in 1991 the Tatars were allowed to repatriate to Crimea which at that time became part of Ukraine. So, the Crimean Tatars do not want to become part of Russia because they strongly associate Russians with the oppression and the genocide. At the same time, the rest of the population are influenced by the two major driving forces: the economic (Russia is a way richer country than Ukraine) and cultural (the majority strongly associate themselves with Russian language and culture). At the same time, Crimea has a long history of their local interests being ignored by the central government in Kiev and the Crimean autonomy only exists on paper. So, part of Crimeans prefer being in Russia to being in Ukraine and the other part the other way around. Hope it clarifies..