93% of Crimea Votes to Join Russia

[happyslug]

69. 58% of Crimeans were Russians to start with

Only 25% of the population of the Crimea are ethnic Ukrainians, 12% are Tartars.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimea

You have to understand the Crimea, it has been attached to Russia since the 1700s, and has been their base against the Turkish Empire since that date. Thus only the most loyal Russians were permitted to move into the Crimea, and then such movement was tied in with the expansion of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

That was under the Czars, with the revolution of 1917 things changed, the Soviet Union EXPANDED their military bases in the Crimea. During WWII Stalin moved out the second largest group in the Crimea, the Crimea Tartars. After 1954 the Tartars were permitted back into the Crimea, but the Tartars permitted back in where checked for they loyalty to Russia first.

Now, with the Revolution of 1989, the Soviet Union broke up and the Crimea became a hot spot between the Ukraine and Russia. Russia wanted to keep its fleet in the Crimea, as the the people of the Crimea, but the Ukraine wanted to retain it, for it was a source of income for the Ukraine do to the Russia fleet being stationed in the Crimea.

An agreement was worked out, Crimea stayed in the Ukraine, but Russia retained the right to use it as its Naval Base.

In 2004 the Ukraine made a commitment to break with Russia and get closer to the EU. This lead to several things, first a decline in their overall economy, The Russian Rubles went UP as the Ukrainian hryvnia went down (Both have been stable to each other since 2010, the decline occurred between 2004 and 2010).

Second, a break between the Eastern parts of the Ukraine (the part of the Ukraine most tied in with Russia), that lead to a decline in that part of the country over and above what happened in the Ukraine as a whole.

Third, increase debt to RUSSIA, given Russia is the major source of energy for the Ukraine (Russia said, if you do no want to be part of Russia, fine, then pay the price Russia charges Foreigners) Russia charged the Ukraine full price for Natural Gas (This hurt the Eastern part of the Ukraine, but the people living in the Eastern Ukraine blamed Kiev NOT Moscow for the price increase).

This lead to a split in the Ukraine, the industrialized Eastern part of the Ukraine, came to see merger with Russia as they best option, while the Western part of the Ukraine saw that as a Nightmare. Thus the Western Part of the Ukraine liked the proposal from the EU for a 3 Billion Dollar loan and austerity (which would mostly hit the Eastern Regions) while the Eastern Part supported Putin come back, 15 million and a 40% drop in Natural Gas prices (The later helping the Eastern and Southern part of the Ukraine the most).

Sorry, given that back ground, I can see a 95% yes vote for Russia. It is like the 95% vote for Obama in Harlem in New York City, The Watts area of Los Angles and other areas of heavy African America Population. Voting to merge with Russia makes economic and ethnically sense to the locals.

Side note: about 12% of the Population of the Crimea is Tartar, and Putin has made an effort to get them to support the merger with Russia. The leader of the Tartar has told his people to boycott the election, but has also shown signs that he prefer a Russian ruled Crimea then a Ukrainian Ruled Crimea. If most Ukrainians boycott the election, and most Russian and Tartars vote, that could be a 80% turn out and a 95% yes vote. Thus Russia and Tartars make up over 70% of the population of the Crimea, about 25% are Ukrainians with the remainder various other small ethnic groups (Most of whom prefer an enemy they know, Russia, to one they do not know, the groups behind the present government of the Ukraine).