Russian Lawmakers Push to Simplify Annexing New Territories

[HRK]

Russian Lawmakers Push to Simplify Annexing New Territories | Russia | RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 28 (RIA Novosti) – Lawmakers in Russia introduced a bill in parliament on Friday to simplify the absorption of new territories into the country in what will be widely interpreted as a signal that Moscow may be planning to gain control over Ukraine’s mainly ethnic Russian-populated region of Crimea.

The legislation comes as Russian troops reportedly blockaded an airport in the Crimean city of Sevastopol in what Ukraine’s acting interior minister, Arsen Avakov, has described as an armed invasion.

Under the bill, authored by the Kremlin-loyal opposition party A Just Russia, the decision on the accession of a part of a foreign state to Russia should be taken through a referendum.

“There have been cases in international practice when a part of a state joined another state without an international treaty being signed. Moreover, international law does not require the conclusion of such a treaty with a foreign state,” the lawmakers said.

Its authors said the legislation, which comes amid political turmoil in Ukraine, stems from Russia’s obligations under a friendship agreement signed in 1997.

Under the deal, Russia and Ukraine agreed to take measures aimed at preventing actions inciting violence against groups of citizens over national, ethnic or religious intolerance.

The A Just Russia party also introduced another bill Friday easing the procedure for granting Russian citizenship to Ukrainians. Russia’s lower house of parliament will consider the legislation on March 11, said Vladimir Pligin, chairman of the parliament’s constitution and state affairs committee.

In recent days, a series of pro-Russia demonstrations have taken place across Crimea. Protesters have said at those gatherings that they do not recognize the current government in Kiev and have called for Russian intervention.

 

[Cherokee]

Damn it will be sad if one of my favorite east european country is divided .....

 

[Umair Nawaz]

Russia wont back off anymore.

 

[HRK]

Russian Fleet Poses No Threat to Ukraine – Senior Official | World | RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti) – A senior Russian defense official said Thursday that the country’s Black Sea Fleet poses no threat to Ukraine and its activities are in compliance with standing agreements between the two countries.

“Currently all units are engaged in their daily routines, including combat training. These actions do not represent a threat,” Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters.

He added that the placement, strength and quantity of weapons and military personnel were in strict compliance with existing bilateral agreements.

The statement came hours after unidentified armed men seized the regional parliament in Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula – where much of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is based – and reportedly raised a Russian flag over the building.

Pro-Russia citizen groups have been forming in the largely Russian-speaking Crimea amid the ongoing turbulence in the country.

Moscow has insisted that it will not interfere in its neighbor’s affairs, but has expressed worry about discrimination against ethnic Russians in the region.

About half of Crimea’s population self-identifies as ethnic Russian.

Ukraine’s interim president warned Moscow on Thursday that any movement by Russian forces outside their bases would be interpreted as an act of military aggression.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet maintains its main naval base in the port of Sevastopol in addition to several auxiliary installations around the peninsula.

During the tenure of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the capital on Saturday, the country renewed Russia’s lease of the facilities through 2042.

Antonov said Russia would continue to pay Ukrainian citizens employed by the base and fulfill all financial obligations for the stay of the fleet in Crimea.

 

[Parul]

I can understand the Russian sticking point of the Black Sea fleet stationed at Sevastopol, and the majority population in Crimean are in fact Russians, not Ukrainians. Most of the local population would prefer to be part of Russia.

However, there is a large sea, the Sea of Azov, which serves much of Southern Ukraine including the historic Ukrainian city of Kharkov, which has in the past been its capital. The only way out of this sea is through the Strait of Kerch, currently with Russia on one side and Ukraine on the other. If Crimea were to pass to Russia, then this strait would be entirely under Russian control, and Ukrainians could be denied a vital sea route, and a long detour across the Dnieper for a heavily populated region. It would therefore be utterly unacceptable to the Ukrainians for Crimea to be part of Russia.

The only other way out of this sea is through new channels around Perekop - an immense undertaking and really not worth the aggravation and expense if a political solution can be found. Retaining the Eastern part of Crimea between Feodosiya and Kerch as part of Ukraine is difficult too, since this region speaks little Ukrainian and is even closer to Russia. One answer though might be to limit the partition of Crimea just to Kerch and lands around, including the long peninsula stretching almost to the Ukrainian mainland. with three land borders, one here and two linking Crimea to the mainland.

Making Crimea independent, rather than part of Russia, would make the treaties required to keep land and sea links going a lot simpler.

 

[senheiser]

Damn it will be sad if one of my favorite east european country is divided .....

where is it divided? Crimea has majority russians living there and crimea is a little peace from ukraine not the half. Ukrainian fascist are to blame for banning tatarian and russian language.

If russia really takes over crimea this will be good news for japan, putin will have it very easy to justify to the public giving the kuril islands to them.

 

[Cherokee]

where is it divided? Crimea has majority russians living there and crimea is a little peace from ukraine not the half. Ukrainian fascist are to blame for banning tatarian and russian language.

If russia really takes over crimea this will be good news for japan, putin will have it very easy to justify to the public giving the kuril islands to them.

Even taking a little peace away from a country means division .

 

[senheiser]

Even taking a little peace away from a country means division .

so where were you crying when soviet union was divided?

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

Good, Putin thinks it is the time to build this baby.

 

[Cherokee]

so where were you crying when soviet union was divided?

I was not born then . Nor am i crying now . Stop the butt hurt flowing through you .

 

[vostok]

Good, Putin thinks it is the time to build this baby.

Then Russia will have to return Nikolaev - "the city of shipbuilders" - it is very close to Crimea.
If you ask me - I'm for it with both hands. South Ukraine is slowly dying out all 22 years while we are cut off from Russia.
Odessa was once considered the southern capital of the Russian Empire and was the fourth largest city in Russia and the third, except Warsaw. And now Odessa not even in the second ten. And the biggest and richest in the world Black Sea Shipping Company were destroyed by 95% by hands of "independent" rulers . And the port of Odessa - the southern sea gate of the USSR now operates at 10-15% of the former power.
We want to live and grow, and this is impossible as long as we - part of independent Ukraine.

 

[HRK]

Parliament Approves Putin Request for Military Action in Ukraine | Russia | RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, March 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s upper house of parliament on Saturday approved a request from President Vladimir Putin to use armed force in Ukraine.

Putin made the request because of what he said was a threat to the lives of Russian citizens and military forces located in naval bases in Crimea.

The Federation Council voted unanimously in support of military action.

The move comes after reports of large Russian troop movements in the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, and a week after the opposition swept to power in Kiev when ousted President Viktor Yanukovych suddenly left the city.

Russian troops will remain deployed until the “political-social situation in the country is normalized,” the Kremlin said in a statement requesting the intervention.

Senators in the Federation Council lined up during an extraordinary session Saturday afternoon to express their support for armed intervention.

Lawmakers accused the United States and European countries of open support for violent protesters in Ukraine.

The decision follows a wave of pro-Russian protests in southern and eastern Ukraine, as well as calls from the newly elected prime minister of Crimea for Putin to intervene.

The ratcheting up of Russian rhetoric over Ukraine and widespread reports of the presence of Russian troops already maneuvering on Ukrainian soil has provoked outrage in Kiev and condemnation from world leaders.

US President Barack Obama said Friday that he was deeply concerned about Russian troop movements inside Ukraine, and warned that violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty would be deeply destabilizing.

Officials from the interim Ukrainian government have said Russia is trying to provoke conflict, and have called on the Kremlin to withdraw all soldiers back to Russian naval base

 

[Beidou2020]

Go Russia!

Wish you all the best!

We are supporting you.