Comment Re:False info (Score 1) 551
First, whatever source you are getting 41% from, were they there? Did they actually count the votes? Or are you getting this information from western media, who logically did not even have access to Crimea at the time of vote? To recap you don't know who is lying (Russians or the West), but the source that you choose to believe literally has no way of knowing the truth in either case.
Gallup did opinion polls in 2011 and 2013
http://www.ibtimes.com/gallup-...
Incidentally doesn't it seem a little suspicious to you that western media ' did not even have access to Crimea at the time of vote'? The reason for that being that the Russian army and pro Russian militias wouldn't let anyone into Crimea from Ukraine or the West - the whole country was under lockdown with anyone who wasn't repeating the mantra that "you're either with Russia or you're a Nazi" was either kept out or beaten up.
Second, I have seen pictures of ballots (I also happen to read Russian since I was born in Ukraine, thought it was USSR at the time). The choices are "Would you like to join Russian Federation" or "Would you like Crimea to stay an autonomous republic as part of Ukraine".
If you look at the ballot here you can see one option is to join Russia and one is to restore the 1992 constitution.
What does that mean?
http://www.reuters.com/article...
According to a format of the ballot paper, published on the parliament's website, the first question will ask: "Are you in favor of the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a part of the Russian Federation?"
The second asks: "Are you in favor of restoring the 1992 Constitution and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine?"
At first glance, the second option seems to offer the prospects of the peninsula remaining within Ukraine.
But the 1992 national blueprint - which was adopted soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and then quickly abolished by the young post-Soviet Ukrainian state - is far from doing that.
This foresees giving Crimea all the qualities of an independent entity within Ukraine - but with the broad right to determine its own path and choose relations with whom it wants - including Russia.
With the pro-Russian assembly already saying it wants to return Crimea to Russia, this second option only offers a slightly longer route to shifting the peninsula back under Russian control, analysts say.
The option of asking people if they wish to stick with the status quo - in which Crimea enjoys autonomy but remains part of Ukraine - is not on offer.
Like I say you can vote to join Russia or restore the 1992 Crimea Constitution. Under which, incidentally the Crimean Parliament could decide to join Russia without another referendum.
Third, I have friends living in Crimea. They would rather be part of Russia, because they would rather have stability than being a part of a failed and corrupt state where revolutions occur every 3-4 years. Also, since you believe that all Ukrainians are held at gunpoint here's a Ukrainian (me) telling you that Russia did the right thing. I assure you nobody is holding me at gunpoint.
I've got friends in Russia and they would rather Putin - who they call 'the Russian Mugabe' loses this gamble because it means he's likelier to lose power.
But hey anecdotes have a small sample size. If you want a decent sample size look at the Gallup polls. And note that the most popular option with 53% support in 2013 - autonomy inside the Ukraine - wasn't even on offer. Also note that 97% in favour is a very unlikely number to get in any referendum.