Quote Originally Posted by Hanna View Post
Would the "pro-Russians" in Eastern Ukraine settle for a federal Ukraine that gives substantial autonomy to their region, or are they dead-set on independence or annexation with Russia?

Does anyone take their demand for a referendum (Crimea style) seriously?
"pro-Russians" don't really know what are their demands. Everybody says whatever (s)he likes, often complete gibberish. The movement almost completely lacks representation among politicians or even people able to formulate ideas in sequential form. That is the problem. Mostly they just want to join Russia so someone else would care to formulate ideas for them and for some reason would provide them with big wages from oil and gas money.

Does anyone take their demand for a referendum (Crimea style) seriously?
Crimea style referendum is impossible without total control of Russian secret services over the process of counting votes. Otherwise it would give completely inacceptable for "pro-Russians" result. Therefore they make some disorder waiting for much more Russian militaries than already do their work in our region.

Personally I would like to make a referendum to close the problem if situation stabilizes. But regretfully it is out of any variant of Ukrainian Constitution used.