Medvedev: Syria, Ukraine and the economic crisis – an exclusive interview

[Little Tich]

14. I don't understand why Russia had to invade Crimea first and justify their actions by a referendum

afterwards.

If there was a genuine desire for the people in Crimea to secede from Ukraine, it wouldn't have been necessary, these things usually happen in the opposite order. Unfortunately, it won't be possible to gauge the will of the people in Crimea until Russia withdraws, in spite of all the pictures of smiling people and Russian flags.

I know that the Russian propaganda is hard to ignore, but please - it's all utter BS. Putin is a full-blown fascist who wants to abolish democracy and unite all ethnic Russians under one flag. Do you really think that he's the least concerned with adhering to democratic ideals and making sure that elections are fair?

I don't trust the Russian figures, the events during the referendum makes me (and the rest of the world) believe that it was rigged and just a retrospective attempt to justify a coup. A pro-separation vote of 96.77% isn't realistic.

Wikipedia: Crimean status referendum, 2014
(snip)

Allegations of fraud
A Russian journalist claimed that she was allowed to vote even after admitting she was a Russian citizen with only a temporary one-year permit to live in Crimea "According to all the laws, this is illegal," she said in one interview. "I am a foreign citizen. How can I decide the destiny of the Crimean Autonomous Republic of Ukraine?"

The chairman of the electoral campaign of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People claimed officials did not check carefully whether voters' names were on the electoral register and that some voters were bussed in to Bakhchysarai to increase participation rates in the city. Mejlis also stated that only 34.2% of Crimea residents participated in the referendum.

There were few reports of people confiscating identification documents before the voting day. Simferopol city administration confirmed these claims and declared these actions unlawful.

A senior US official claimed there was "concrete evidence" of some ballots having been pre-marked.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_status_referendum,_2014