Putin's 2008 Comments On Crimea, Before A Sharp Change Of Tack (VIDEO)

https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-crimea-ukraine/26942862.html ^

[ought-six]

Ah, Ivan. Where to begin?

In 2013, Yanukovych reneged on his assurances that he would follow through with the EU Association Agreement, an agreement he had campaigned on; instead, he ignored that agreement and refused to pursue it and did a 180, and turned toward Russia, instead. This pissed off a majority of the Ukrainian people. This started the Euromaidan protests.

There were two main groups involved during the Euromaidan movement: (1) the pro-Maidan movement, which opposed the-Yanukovych/Azarov government’s sudden switch to Russia; which included parliamentary opposition to Yanukovych/Azarov, and disaffected police; (2) the Yanukovych/Azarov government and its security apparatuses; and anti-Maidan, pro Yanukovych/Azarov protestors, all of whom were supported by Russia.

Clashes between pro-Maidan (#1 above) and anti-Maidan (#2 above) movements began in the fall of 2013 and continued for many weeks. The clashes increased in violence and on February 19, 2014 unidentified men clad in helmets and wielding clubs attacked a pro-Maidan demonstration. Violence further escalated and protestors were fired upon.

On February 21, 2014 Yanukovych and the Rada signed an agreement settling the crisis (the full text of which can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/21/agreement-on-the-settlement-of-crisis-in-ukraine-full-text). This agreement had been mediated by the EU and Russia.

However, Yanukovych left Kyiv later that evening and went to the east, shortly to cross over into Russia.

Then, on February 22, 2014 the Rada then voted to remove him from office, by a vote of 328 – 0 (or, some 73% of the Rada’s total membership, with the remaining 27% either abstaining or absent). Yanukovych claimed the vote was illegal (but, of course, it wasn’t illegal; as it complied with the Ukrainian constitution). Yanukovych immediately turned to Russia for help, and Russia claimed the legal vote to remove Yanukovych was a “coup” (which is where all you pro-Russia Peepers got your talking point about a “coup”).

But, even Putin later said that Yanukovych had in effect surrendered power.

Anyway, on February 27, 2014 Russian troops seized strategic sites across Crimea, followed by the installation of the pro-Russian Aksyonov government in Crimea, the Crimean status referendum, and the declaration of Crimea’s independence on 16 March 2014. Russia proceeded to stir up separatist passions in eastern Ukraine, arming the separatists and fomenting civil war.

On March 1, 2014 (two days after Russia had invaded Crimea) up to 20,000 people participated in a pro-Russia demonstration in Odesa. On March 3, 2014 pro-Russia demonstrators attempted to seize a government council building while the council was in session. They replaced the Ukrainian flag with a Russian flag, and demanded a referendum establishing Odesa as an autonomous republic. The pro-Russia militia known as Odesskaya Druzhina was involved in some of these actions.

Later, armed pro-Russia demonstrators seized Ukrainian government buildings in eastern Ukraine and declared the independent states of Luhansk and Donetsk.

In May, 2014 competing movements collided in Odessa, resulting in several deaths. Not surprisingly, finger-pointing followed along partisan lines, with pro-Maidan/pro-Rada voices blaming anti-Maidan/pro-Russia voices, and vice versa.

You see, Ivan; I don’t have to resort to childish name-calling about Nazis and tattoos as you have done in order to present my argument. You, however, have nothing BUT emotion and hysteria to offer. Yeah, I think you’re probably Russian, or at least of Russian stock with an allegiance to Russia.