“Crimean knot”

While the new authorities who have got into the office thanks to the incredible efforts and sacrifice of people are dividing Cabinet portfolios, the country is facing a real threat of division. I mean the Crimea. Naturally, it would be wrong to escalate the situation, but underestimating its seriousness is equally unacceptable. We need solutions which would satisfy everyone, lower the tensions and resolve the confrontation.

There are several reasons for what is happening on the peninsula now.

FIRSTLY, Kyiv officials never undertook systemic work on the Crimea in the past 23 years. Actually, they allowed the situation to drift. After all, neither economic nor social, or information, or humanitarian policy has seen any real activity, not to mention dispelling all sorts of myths about Banderaites or confronting talk who pays for whom and so on.

SECONDLY, the events of recent months in Kyiv have further exacerbated the situation. Most Crimeans saw the Euromaidan only as an extremist or fascist plot, whose participants set on fire and destroyed everything. Additionally, of course, the West was to blame for sponsoring the opposition. The reason behind this view is Russian TV channels, which have been broadcasting foulest propaganda.

THIRDLY, there were good reasons behind heroes’ welcome, including a flower parade, given on their return to the city to Sevastopol riot police who had defended Viktor Yanukovych with brutal vengeance. However, the Crimeans’ candidate lost, more so, he lost shamefully. Where is he? Public is still in the dark. The new authorities’ behavior is only adding fuel to the fire. The language law which the parliament suddenly decided to cancel is a case in point. This law was not applied anyway, why act on it without first proposing alternatives?

As you can see, a lot of problems overlap. Instead of quickly forming the Cabinet (the opposition had to be ready for it, if it was so long aspiring to power) and immediately responding to the challenges, the new government has been embroiled in behind-the-scenes disputes and carving the pie. Public and the Euromaidan’s discontent has been upsetting Oleksandr Turchynov and his inner circle’s plans.

This whole situation, of course, is of use to the Kremlin, where the government, speaking through certain politicians, has never concealed its views on the Crimea and, even more so, Sevastopol. Many experts talk about the Abkhazian-Ossetian scenario for the Crimea, believing that following his geopolitical loss in Kyiv, Vladimir Putin will certainly take advantage of the situation in the Crimea to destabilize the region and then go further along the chain of escalation.

According to our information, the new head of the Security Service of Ukraine Valentyn Nalyvaichenko has come to grips with the Crimean issue immediately after his appointment. Acting president Turchynov held a meeting with the heads of the power ministries and agencies on the same subject recently. It is no coincidence. They bear a great burden of responsibility.