International security

Ukraine’s first president acknowledges Crimea as part of Russia

First Ukrainian President, Leonid Kravchuk, has admitted Crimea is part of Russia.

"In actual fact, it (Crimea) is already Russia," Kravchuk told Ukraine’s UNN News Agency when asked when one could expect the Black Sea peninsula and part of the Donbass region to return under Kiev’s control.

"Let us divide (these issues). Donbass will return without fail, and we will not have to wait long. As for Crimea, we will have to wait for a long time. Crimea was drawn into Moscow’s orbit, so it is already part of the Russian federal system. In actual fact, it is already Russia," Kravchuk stressed.

The Crimean authorities held a referendum on March 16, 2014, based on local residents’ attitude to Crimea’s reunification with Russia. With a record turnout of over 80%, 96.7% of Crimean residents and 95.6% of voters in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol voted for the Black Sea peninsula’s reintegration into Russia.