At first glance, the second option seems to offer the prospects of the peninsula remaining within Ukraine...

The option of asking people if they wish to stick with the status quo - in which Crimea enjoys autonomy but remains part of Ukraine - is not on offer.
Those analysts have definite problems with logic and indulge in wishful thinking because “to determine its own path and choose relations with whom it wants” does not implies in the slightest that it will necessarily be Russia and not Ukraine, if the Crimeans should decide to vote in favor of Ukraine during the referendum in question.

Anyways, the 1992 constitution states unequivocally that Crimea is united with Ukraine(1), so the offer is pretty fair and it restores only those rights that were unilaterally abolished by Kiev in 1995 (2). Also, it may be worth saying that the Freedom party, which is a member of the current ruling coalition, has sought every opportunity in the past to dismantle the autonomy as such and even incorporates this item in its program(3). So,"the status quo - in which Crimea enjoys autonomy" definitely sounds very problematic but for very other reason.

(1)
Статья 9

Республика Крым входит в государство Украина и определяет с ней свои отношения на основе договора и соглашений.
Конституция


(2)
17 марта 1995 — Верховный Совет Украины отменил конституцию Крыма и пост Президента республики Крым, таким образом Юрий Мешков был единственным президентом Крыма
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Хронология_истории_Крыма


(3)
Один из пунктов действующей программы ВО “Свобода” предполагает вынесение на всеукраинский референдум вопроса об изменении статуса Крыма с автономного на областной и отмену специального статуса города Севастополя, сообщили в пресс-службе партии.
“Свобода” хочет на референдуме ликвидировать автономию Крыма |