If Kosovo is possible, why not Donbass?
Kyiv - Donetsk - Sevastopol, May 11 (Navigator, Kirill Boyarin, Yegor Kagorov) - The West has no reason to express dissatisfaction with today's referendum in Donbass - voting in Donetsk and Lugansk is no less legitimate than, for example, it was in Kosovo. Residents of the two eastern regions demonstrated high turnout and organization, and, unlike Crimea, the referendum was organized independently - without support from Moscow.
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“The legitimacy of a referendum is demonstrated if the majority of the population votes in it. At least its legitimacy is no lower than it was in Kosovo. This is from the point of view of international norms, because that referendum also took place in violation of domestic legislation. In all other respects they are absolutely identical. The population expressed their unwillingness to live within the existing state and held a referendum. If the majority of the population comes to it and speaks positively on the issue of independence, then it will be as legitimate as the Kosovo referendum,” says political scientist Rostislav Ishchenko.
His colleague, Doctor of Political Sciences Sergei Gorbachev, recalls that today's referendum took place despite Vladimir Putin's proposal to postpone the voting date.
“When Vladimir Putin announced the need to postpone the referendum to a later date, it was still about the fact that it would be possible to establish a dialogue with the interim authorities in Kyiv. After the events in Mariupol, it became clear to residents of the Southeast that a compromise could not be found. Kyiv did not leave such an opportunity. Therefore, it makes no difference when to hold a referendum; it will not affect the result. People decided not to delay. Moreover, a huge amount of work was done to prepare for the plebiscite. Residents of the South-East have shown that they are capable of deciding for themselves, and the words about the “hand of Moscow” are greatly exaggerated. This is another argument in favor of self-determination, the declaration of independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics,” the expert said.
“It is quite difficult to compare the referendum in South-East Ukraine with similar events in Kosovo and Catalonia. Firstly, our brothers from the Lugansk and Donetsk regions did not initially demand secession. On the contrary, it was about preserving the integrity of Ukraine through the formation of a federal system. Kyiv categorically refused to engage in dialogue, thereby pushing the residents of the Southeast to attempt self-determination. As for Kosovo, do not forget that the revolutionaries there were supported by the United States. But in Catalonia there were completely different conditions, so the troops did not shoot at their own fellow citizens,” adds Gorbachev.
The events in Donbass are being closely watched in Crimea today. The former mayor of Sevastopol, and now a deputy of the legislative assembly, Ivan Ermakov believes that Kyiv is no longer destined to regain control over Donetsk and Lugansk.
“What is the reason for the high turnout for the referendum in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions? The fact is that when people want something very badly, but their opinion is not cared for, people will go against it. This is human nature. The same thing happened in Crimea and Sevastopol. Of course, we did not have military operations, but I think that if the fascist youths began to organize provocations here too, this would not stop our fellow citizens. There is a certain “boiling point”. In the Southeast it has already been passed. There is no turning back. Of course, the language issue played a big role. A lot of Russian-speaking people live there. Everyone who is not too lazy has speculated on this problem, starting from Kuchma. People are tired of these games. I think that if any interests of the residents of Western Ukraine were hurt, they would act much harsher than our brothers from the South-East,” says Ermakov.
“Residents of Lugansk and Donetsk, whom Kyiv for some reason called separatists, in fact, were, perhaps, most interested in preserving the integrity of the country. What happened is a direct consequence of the position of the self-proclaimed Kyiv authorities. They simply did not want to hear and listen to their fellow citizens,” says the ex-mayor of Sevastopol.
“Of course, this referendum is legitimate. In general, any referendum held according to a certain procedure in compliance with generally accepted norms is legitimate. Such standards are recommended by the Venice Commission. We adhered to such norms when organizing the referendum in Crimea, and, as far as I know, the organizers of the referendum in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions were guided by them. I hope that there will be countries that recognize that the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are not some kind of redneck, vatniks and Colorados, but people who have the same rights as all other inhabitants of the planet,” says Crimean political scientist Andrey Nikiforov.
“The Western community and the Kiev junta have announced that they do not recognize the results of the referendum. One can talk endlessly about its legitimacy. The problem is that Ukraine is in a state of civil war. But this is the initial stage of the civil war, so much of it resembles the theater of the absurd. That is, people are being killed in the country, but at the same time discussions of presidential candidates are taking place. People demand that their voice be heard, but instead they are called separatists, terrorists and refuse to talk to them, so they look for ways to be heard. Thus, the referendum is nothing more than a desire to ensure the rights of the South-East, which feeds Ukraine, but constantly experiences contemptuous ridicule on its part. But, unfortunately, this is the voice of one crying in the wilderness,” notes political scientist Vladimir Dzharalla.
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