Russian politician arrives in Crimea amid heightened tension in the region скачать в хорошем качестве

Russian politician arrives in Crimea amid heightened tension in the region

(28 Feb 2014) The Vice Chairman of the Russian state Duma travelled to the strategic Crimea peninsula on Friday, where he said that residents should be able to decide for themselves where their allegiances belong. Head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, was speaking shortly after arriving in the capital Simferopol. "We'll let them decide for themselves. We shouldn't make the impression that we're trying to take something away or convey some kind of operation," Zhirinovsky said. He said Viktor Yanukovych remains Ukraine's legitimate president and as such is the only person who can make lawful decisions in Crimea. Crimea has always "belonged to Russia" Zhirinovsky added. Crimea is a pro-Russia part of Ukraine separated from the rest of the country geographically, historically and politically, with nearly 60 percent of its population of two (m) million identifying themselves as Russians. Many residents fear a potential conflict with authorities in Kiev, hoping that Russia would intervene to protect their interests. Any Russian military incursion in Crimea would dramatically raise the stakes in Ukraine's conflict, which saw the pro-Russian president flee last weekend after three months of anti-government protests. Moscow has vowed to protect Russian-speaking Ukrainians in Crimea, where it has a major naval base, and Ukraine and the West have warned Russia to stay away. Zhirinovsky left immediately by road for Sevastapol after his comments. Earlier on Friday, Ukraine's new interior minister, Arsen Avakov, claimed that Russian troops had taken control of the two main airports in the strategic peninsula of Crimea. The country has also asked the UN Security Council to intervene in the escalating conflict. Russian state media said Russian forces in Crimea denied involvement. No violence was reported at the civilian airport in Simferopol or at the military airport in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, also part of Crimea. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...