Putin Says Relied on Poll Results in Issue Around Crimea

The results demonstrated there in Crimea 75% wanted to join Russia

VLADIVOSTOK – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says the decision on changing the status of Crimea was not immediate.

“We have never considered Crimea’s rejection from Ukraine until the events [in Maidan], the coup,” he said in a film called Way to Motherland, which Rossiya 1 television channel broadcasted on Sunday. “The first thing I ordered to do is to organise a closed poll.”

“The results demonstrated there (in Crimea)75% wanted to join Russia,” he said. “It was evident for me if we approach it, the numbers of those supporting this historic event would be even higher.”

The final objective was not seizure of Crimea or whatever annexation. The final objective was to give an opportunity to the people to express their will regarding how they would want to live. I am telling you quite openly and honestly. My thoughts were: if this is what people want, this is the way it will be. This means they will be with some bigger autonomy, with some rights, though a part of the Ukrainian state. Let it be so. But if they want it otherwise, we cannot leave them. We know results of the poll. Thus, we acted the way should have

The outbreak of nationalism spurred Russians to assist people living in Crimea, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said.

“We were done by about 7. And, I must say, I told all my counterparts (they were four): The situation in Ukraine is such that we have to begin working on returning of Crimea into Russia, as we cannot abandon that territory and people living there into the hands of the nationalists,” Putin said.

Russian President has admitted that he was personally engaged in solving Crimea’s most pressing issues. “Our advantage was that I was personally engaged in this, – Putin said. – They can feel, understand and know that they fulfill an order and do not make arbitrary steps. But when the government agencies are in the state of total or partial outage, then the orders are neither given at all nor do they reach the designated receivers, nor their legitimacy can be doubtless“.

In March 2014 at least 96.77% of the Crimean peninsula residents voted in favor of reunification of Russia and Crimea, including the Black Sea navall port of Sevastopol.

TASS

R.S