Ukraine conflict: A personal view from the eTN Donetsk ambassador

This is a personal view on the situation in the Ukraine by the eTN representative Dmitri Makarov who is based in Donetsk, Ukraine:
Well. I am not politician and I am not supporter of Putin regime.

This is a personal view on the situation in the Ukraine by the eTN representative Dmitri Makarov who is based in Donetsk, Ukraine:
Well. I am not politician and I am not supporter of Putin regime.

I am person who was born and raised in the Donbass region which is located in Eastern Ukraine.

Historically it is a pro-Russian area. 200 years ago, it was a desolate, so-called “Wild Field”

The growth and development of the region began with the discovery of coal deposits and thousands of disadvantaged, poor workers migrated from remote regions of the Russian Empire. This region has always inhabited by the Russian-speaking majority.

The Crimean peninsula is the pearl of Ukraine and was annexed by Russian Empire in 1783 during the Russo-Turkish war. Often not taken into account, the indigenous population of the Crimean Tatars, who make up more than 10 percent of the Crimean population.

On 19 February 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union issued a decree transferring the Crimean Oblast from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR but the population of Crimea was a Russian majority.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Crimea became part of the newly independent Ukraine which led to tensions between Russia and Ukraine. With the Black Sea Fleet based on the peninsula, worries of armed skirmishes were occasionally raised. Crimean Tatars began returning from exile and resettled in Crimea.

On 26 February 1992, the Verkhovniy Sovet (the Crimean parliament) renamed the ASSR as the Republic of Crimea and proclaimed self-government on 5 May 1992 (which was yet to be approved by a referendum to be held 2 August 1992) and passed the first Crimean constitution the same day.On 6 May 1992 the same parliament inserted a new sentence into this constitution that declared that Crimea was part of the Ukraine.

For more than two hundred years, this regions has been pro-Russian, and it would be strange if the existing management of the region obeyed to pro-nationalists in Kiev.

Todayโ€™s crisis shows not only the expansion and imperialistic ambitions of Russia towards the lost parts of its former โ€œEmpireโ€, itโ€™s also the reflection of the peopleโ€™s will of that territories.

A Pro-Russian part of the Ukraine, the South-East has large cities, industry, workplaces, the Black Sea.

The leaders from the western Ukraine consider it was inappropriate to have two official languages in existence.

It is not only two opposite sides when we have โ€œrich culturedโ€ Western Ukrainians with European values and the โ€œrough corruptโ€ part from the East Ukraine who just do what Putin wants.

I am on the side of โ€œwesternizationโ€ of Ukraine but if we have a โ€œRevolutionโ€ we need to count the interests of different groups of our population. If we have a new government in Kiev why not have the Crimea become independent, or become a part of something else?

It was a big mistake when Ukraine obtained independence and became the unitary state with such a big difference between regions.

My point of view is that Ukraine can keep its current boundaries only as a federative state where regions are having a wide autonomy.

In the meantime my suitcase is packed.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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