11 September 2014, 08:01
Stabilization of economic situation in Ukraine and active moving forward in the direction towards the European integration is the basis for the return of Crimea to our state. Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said this in an interview with “Fokus” magazine, released on Thursday.
Oleksandr Turchynov reminded that high level of support of Russia’s actions by the Crimean citizens was the main problem on the peninsula that the occupants made use of. “Unless supported by local population, this provocation would never get a chance,” he noted.
At the same time, Chairperson of the Parliament noted that it is a very important fact that mood of Crimean citizens changes. “Lots of those who applauded Russian soldiers now experience what it means to live in a totalitarian state.” “This is the basis for the return of Crimea to Ukraine i.e. the understanding on the part of the majority of Crimean citizens of what they have lost. The main factor that will help us do that without bloodshed lies in stabilization of economic situation in Ukraine and active moving forward in the direction towards the European integration,” he noted.
Oleksandr Turchynov said also that Russian aggression in Crimea began against the background of lack of actual authority in the country. Practically, there was no army in Ukraine.
He reminded that then a huge armada of tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and manpower of the armed forces of the Russian Federation was deployed along the entire Ukrainian border. “The Russian tanks then could reach Kyiv in a couple of hours. Russians were waiting for provocations and bloodshed in Crimea, so that there was a reason to enter the unprotected state and destroy our independent country that they have been hating and still hate. This is the scenario they tried to unfold,” he said.
Apart from this, Oleksandr Turchynov said that “there was still another problem that prevented us from imposing martial law.” “Russian troops were actually legally staying in Crimea. They were acting illegally by being in the vanguard of provocateurs and separatism-minded population. However, at the same time, under the agreement that was prolonged in Kharkiv by Yanukovych, Russia could deploy military contingent in Crimea in the number of up to 46 thousand of people. And not only in Sevastopol – Russian soldiers had the right to move throughout the territory of the peninsula,” reminded the Chairperson of the Parliament.
Responding to the question why our soldiers did not shoot even when military units were being seized, Oleksandr Turchynov said that Ukrainian units, located in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, were more than 70% composed of local contract soldiers for whom this was merely the possibility to earn money.” “This is where the unwillingness to obey an order to use weapons during the attempts of seizure comes from. Such order was given immediately, but there was no one to fulfill it,” he stressed.
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