Russia. Crimea. History. Nikolay Starikov

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ Nikita Khrushchev’s son has a totally different view: “And if the Russians are concerned about the issue, we do know, how the three leaders agreed on the collapse of the Soviet Union in Bialowieza Forest. Kravchuk then asked Yeltsin: “And what will we do with the Crimea?”, and Yeltsin replied: “Take it”. Thus it was Boris Yeltsin who granted peninsula to the people but not Khrushchev. They could put a monument to him”[134].

      As we can see the situation described in these two stories is quite different. The role of Boris Yeltsin varies widely. At the same time, it is worth to be noted that Khrushchev’s son, 100 % Westerner, lives and teaches in the USA. Therefore, the position of Yeltsin, who as a politician destroyed the Soviet Union, is favored by him. However, Khrushchev’ son displays rather a miserable picture. By the way, Khrushchev’s granddaughter who is ardent Russophobe and fanatical hater of our state lives in the United States as well[135]. As they say, like father, like son. Even in the second generation…

      We will get back to Yeltsin’s role in connection with Crimea later. In the meantime, it should be noted that during and after the Bialowieza conspiracy, when the first and the last Soviet president Gorbachev actually agreed to destroy the country, the opinion of the residents was not taken into account. According to the statistics, the Russians, amounted to 67.1 % in 1989, let alone the representatives of other nationalities. No referendum on whether to stay in Ukraine or return to Russia again was held. In view of collapsing of USSR the Crimea was handed over to Ukraine under the banner for eternal friendship.

      Few people know that on January 20, 1991, almost a year before the tragic collapse of the USSR occurred, the issue on the autonomy of the Republic was introduced for referendum in the Crimea: It claimed-”Do you support restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as the entity of the USSR and a member of the Union Treaty?” 93.26 % of the voted supported it[136]. Two facts should be noted: it was the first referendum in the USSR as such. In fact, the referendum held again on March 16, 2014, when 96.77 % of Crimeans voted for independence of Crimea and supported the entry into the Russian Federation, was no different. Even the results of the two polls are very similar. Crimeans have not changed in 23 years of “independence”. They remained Russians in their hearts.

      But in 1991 no one listened and even intended to listen to the inhabitants of the peninsula. The country leaders had quite other things to concern about – the race for power between Gorbachev and Yeltsin entered its final phase. However, the Crimean deputies thought a step further than the statesmen of a superior level. On February 12, 1991, taking into account the results of the referendum, the Supreme Council of Ukraine adopted the Law “On restoration of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic”, which only consisted of the two articles.

      “Article 1. To restore the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the territory of the Crimean region as a part of the Ukrainian SSR.

      Article 2. To declare the Crimean Regional Council of People’s Deputies as a supreme body of the state authority within the Crimean Autonomous Republic temporarily before adoption of the Constitution of the Crimean Autonomous Republic and establishment of its constitutional body of the state authority and grant it a status of the Supreme Council of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic”[137].

      Thus, the Crimea gained autonomy. But the referendum raised the question in the other way. There was talk of granting the Crimea an equal status within the Union. In other words, the Crimea and Ukraine were to become equal. As well as the city of Sevastopol, which have a special status, and the rest of the Crimea which are equal today. But despite the results of the referendum, “federal status” was not granted to the Crimea. Meantime, according to Article 2 of the above-mentioned law the Crimean Regional Council of People’s Deputies, which was transformed into the Supreme Council of the Crimean ASSR on March 22, 1991, was temporarily (until adoption of the Constitution) declared as a supreme body of the state authority within the Crimean ASSR. It was this body, which developed the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea adopted on May 6, 1992. The Supreme Council will also play its role in the events of winter and spring 2014, when being completely legitimate authority (as opposed to Kiev’s putschists), it would be able to launch the referendum and subsequent reunification with Russia. But before that, in the mid-1990s, the Constitution of the Crimea was abolished by the Ukrainian authorities, and the position of the president of the Crimea was annihilated.

      In 1991 Ukraine held its own referendum. It was held on December 1st, and according to the opinion of the Ukrainian leaders it affirmed “Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine”, which was hastily adopted by the Supreme Council of the Ukranian SSR on August 24, 1991. Which, sort of, added legitimacy to Kravchuk’s actions. But in accordance with the law of the USSR “Concerning the procedure for secession of a union republic from the USSR” № 1409–1 dated April 3, 1990, the Republic of Crimea had full authority to conduct its own referendum to decide – whether to stay within the USSR or to leave the Union, together with the Ukrainian SSR. Crimeans boycotted the Ukrainian referendum, whereon Kiev involved soldiers to the voting – Ukraine descents – and other categories of citizens of Ukraine, who were on vacation in the Crimea at that time. The result was 62 % voters’ turnout, of which only 54 % voted for “the Act”. In fact, only 33 % of the total number of Crimean voters supported it. And if you also subtract Ukrainians, who originally “not from the Crimea”, but who voted in the referendum, you get even less. It is illustrative that Ukraine wanted to terminate the alliance with USSR and held a referendum, but did not let do the same to the Crimea[138].

      The struggle of Crimeans for the right to remain Russians began. For this reason, it was vital for them to preserve the autonomy and status of the republic. In response to “the Act” signatures with a clear statement of the question posed: “Are you for the independent Republic of Crimea in the Union with other states?” were collected for a new referendum on the peninsula in 1992. In reply, the Kiev authorities declared a moratorium on the referendum by the decree of the Supreme Council of Ukraine on May 13, 1992. Trying to help the Crimea, the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation adopted a resolution on May 21, 1992 “Concerning legal evaluation of the decisions, taken by the supreme bodies of the state authorities of the Russian SFSR in connection with changing the status of the Crimea, adopted in 1954,” declares Khrushchev’s decisions on handing the Crimea over to Ukraine illegal:

      “1. Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet RSFSR dated February 5, 1954 “Concerning the transfer of the Crimean region of the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR” as adopted with violation of the Constitution (Fundamental Law) and legislative procedure of the RSFSR invalidating to declare invalid from the moment of adoption.

      2. For want of institutionalization of this fact by subsequent legislation of the RSFSR and signing a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Russia dated November 19, 1990, in which the parties renounce territorial claims, and formalize the principle in treaties and agreements between the CIS states, consider it necessary to settle the Crimea case by interstate negotiations between Russia and Ukraine with the participation of Crimea, based on the will of its people.

Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian FederationR. I. KhasbulatovMoscow, House of the Soviets of RussiaMay 21, 1992 № 2809–1»[139]

      The next day the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR issued the statement to the Supreme Council of Ukraine, in which Russian parliamentarians expressed concern that Ukraine was trying to grab the Black Sea Fleet and clearly conducted an unfriendly policy towards Russia. How could this happen? Just a while ago we were one fraternal nation in one country. Amicable divorce without blood and gunfire, and conflicts right after the collapse of the USSR? The fact that Ukraine was trying to grab the Soviet Black Sea Fleet for no СКАЧАТЬ