By casting their votes in the referendum, Crimeans chose security and statehood
This spring, Crimean residents are marking the seventh anniversary of the peninsula’s reunification with Russia. They determined their future in 2014, when an armed coup took place in Ukraine. Although the West refuses to recognise the will of the Crimean people, many European experts and politicians acted as observers at the referendum. They were able to learn first-hand why people supported reunification with Russia.
“There was an opportunity to personally talk to everyone involved in the electoral process”, – Polish analyst Mateusz Piskorski tells Politnavigator in a commentary. – “We wanted to study what sentiments prevailed among Crimeans at the time and quickly became convinced that there was no point in doubting the announced results.”
Piskorski was one of many European representatives at the Crimean referendum. Along with lawyers, sociologists, journalists and members of the European Parliament, he acted as an observer as part of the electoral process. Piskorski would later face harassment in his native Poland because of this. He would be accused of working for the Russian secret services and even sent to prison for 3 years.
On the next anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia, Piskorski says that the choice made by the peninsula’s residents can be explained very simply. Having watched extremist groups flourish in Ukraine and Hitler’s Nazi collaborators turn into national heroes, people preferred to vote for basic security.
“Crimeans saw what was happening in Kiev”, – says the expert. – “They have seen the violence and brutality of neo-Nazi formations that people who advocate the right to speak their native language have faced. They saw how people who opposed the glorification of the collaborators were beaten up. They understood that sooner or later these thugs would turn up on their doorstep, and so they cast their votes in the referendum for a country capable of defending its citizens.”
There is another reason. According to Piskorski, Crimeans also voted for statehood, for a country that pays pensions and benefits on time, guarantees salaries and ensures that economic entities comply with the law.
“Their motivation is justified, and there is no point in analysing this choice in terms of international law or geopolitics”, – the expert concludes. – “In order to reason about global politics, one must first get a sense of security.”