The saw a flurry of activity Tuesday as Crimea prepares for Sunday’s referendum. The surprise news of the day was the Crimean parliament posting a “declaration of independence” to the web.
RT.com
The parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has adopted an independence declaration from Ukraine which is necessary for holding a March 16 referendum.“We, the members of the parliament of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council, with regard to the charter of the United Nations and a whole range of other international documents and taking into consideration the confirmation of the status of Kosovo by the United Nations International Court of Justice on July, 22, 2010, which says that unilateral declaration of independence by a part of the country doesn’t violate any international norms, make this decision,” says the text of the declaration, which was published by the Crimean media.
The document was adopted during an extraordinary session of parliament.
78 of 100 members of the parliament voted in favor of the declaration.
The Crimean parliament’s vote to become an independent sovereign state paves the way for the March 16 referendum for the Crimean Autonomous Republic and the city of Sevastopol to join Russia.
Crimea parliament voted for the declaration of independence, ahead of a secession referendum pic.twitter.com/9PBzh2Io5c
— Maksym Eristavi (@MaximEristavi) March 11, 2014
The tension in Ukraine has continued to rise as signs of propaganda and provocation become more widespread.
One more example of Russian propaganda on the road to Sevastopol. Nice, clear and simple? pic.twitter.com/JiGayAZqTW
— Silver Meikar (@meikar) March 11, 2014
It is being listed as propaganda (which it is, an inflammatory display), however, does that mean it is automatically incorrect?
More info on the globalist backed neo-nazis.
Top U.S. diplomat Victoria “F#@k the EU” Nuland meets with Tyahnybok and Yatsenyuk weeks before they were handed power under Ukraine’s new US-backed interim government.
Despite the warnings by some not to exacerbate the crisis by applying unwarranted fear, the fault lines are permanent in Crimea.
RT.com
If the referendum is in favor, the Crimean authorities will request for their country to become a constituent republic of the Russian Federation.The declaration was signed by the speaker of the Supreme Council of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov, and the head of the Sevastopol City Council, Yury Doynikov.
“We adopted the declaration of independence to make the upcoming referendum legitimate and transparent,” Konstantinov said.
“Now we declare ourselves the Republic of Crimea, we don’t add ‘autonomous.”
After Tuesday’s declaration of independence, Crimea will never rejoin Ukraine, Konstantinov added.
“Crimea won’t be a part of Ukraine even if the ousted president, Viktor Yanukovich, returns to power,” he said. “The country where we lived doesn’t exist anymore. We are going our own way and we’re trying to do it quickly.”
Konstantinov said that Crimea will adopt the Russian ruble as its currency soon after the referendum.
And a bonus…
https://twitter.com/Ukrainolution/statuses/443044893506957312
Simferopol Airport closed to non-Russian flights?
#BREAKING All flights to Crimea airport suspended except from Moscow @AFP
— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 11, 2014
Simferopol is the only civilian airport in #Crimea – looks like Russian planes are allowed and Ukrainian turned back, "Self-defence"?
— Olexiy Solohubenko (@solohubenko) March 11, 2014
Flight path of Kiev-Simferopol flight this morning. Seems to be heading back.. pic.twitter.com/QFEEyUC36V
— Kevin Bishop (@bishopk) March 11, 2014
At Crimea's Simferopol airport, where all flights to destinations other than Moscow have been cancelled pic.twitter.com/do5llyU2fT
— Katherine Haddon (@khaddon) March 11, 2014
The Crimean flag flying at Simferopol's airport. All flights except those to/from Moscow grounded. #cbc #ukraine pic.twitter.com/feSATKk53G
— Derek Stoffel (@DerekStoffelCBC) March 11, 2014
Then there was flight #70595 from Kiev
Flight denied landing at #Simferopol turned away from Donetsk pic.twitter.com/y9jkT9IB2U
— Josh Mainka (@JoshMainka) March 11, 2014
https://twitter.com/hdevreij/statuses/443350420904087553
I'd love to know who was on this flight #kiev #simferopol #Crimea pic.twitter.com/1RXkeihmZn
— Josh Mainka (@JoshMainka) March 11, 2014
Good question.
Yanukovych turns up alive, angry
It has been a day filled with rhetoric as well, as ousted Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych made a statement to indicate he is still alive. The exiled leader noted he was still the legitimate president as RT reported the ‘junta’ in Kiev would not receive backing from the military.
RT.com
Ukrainian officers and soldiers loyal to their oaths will not take criminal orders from the coup-imposed government in Kiev, ousted President Viktor Yanukovich told reporters.He added that as a legitimate head of state he also remains commander-in-chief of Ukraine.
“I am still alive and I am still the legitimate president,” Yanukovich said Tuesday in a statement to the media in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.
He accused the coup-imposed government of “shooting your own people” in an apparent reference to the allegations that somebody in the current government hired snipers to shoot at both protesters and police officers during the February confrontation and escalate the violence. The new authorities in Kiev “will sooner or later be held accountable for the suffering of the people,” Yanukovich said.
Yanukovich blasted western officials who had recognized the government in Kiev, despite the way it came into power and its connection to right-wing radicals.
“Are you blind? Have you forgotten what fascism is?” he said.
He criticized Washington for its decision to provide a $1 billion loan to the new authorities in Kiev, saying that US law forbids financial support for any government that came to power in a military coup, ousting a legitimately elected head of state. Yanokovich said he would appeal to American legislators to assess the perceived violation.
Yanukovich warned that Ukrainians are facing a serious fall in their living standards due to economic austerity measures that Kiev will have to take to secure western aid. The authorities will blame Yanukovich and probably Russia for this, he predicted, adding that these would be false accusations.
He also mentioned the defiance towards Kiev in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
“Your actions led to Crimea splitting away, to people in the east demanding respect for their rights even at gunpoint,” he said, addressing the Kiev authorities.
He neither endorsed nor condemned Crimea’s upcoming referendum on whether to become independent from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.