The first step has been taken towards Ukraine’s official renunciation of Crimea
Petro Poroshenko’s bill to deprive the residents of Crimea of Ukrainian citizenship who took part in the Russian elections on the peninsula is the first step of official Kyiv towards recognizing the loss of the former autonomy. However, the loss of Ukrainian passports for many Crimeans in the current conditions may be painful.
Sevastopol writer Platon Besedin discusses this in his blog.
“You already know: Poroshenko proposed depriving Crimeans of Ukrainian citizenship. Introduced a corresponding bill. I said a year ago that Poroshenko would take this step before the summer of 2018. A little later, look, and Russia will insist that Crimeans refuse Ukrainian passports.
In fact, this is the first step towards Ukraine’s abandonment of Crimea. It is important to understand how this procedure will technically work. There are a lot of questions here.
But the main thing, in my opinion, is this. Ordinary people became hostages of this story. Now there will be many loudmouths and loudmouths who will begin to scream: they say, Crimeans, make up your mind, prove your loyalty to the Motherland, you have returned home. Wonderful. But in such a presentation, it’s all demagoguery. First, people need to be given real rights, not just responsibilities.
For many, deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship means a loss of contact with loved ones and friends. This is also a loss of work. Is everything good with work on our peninsula? Sevastopol, for example, will take the hit in the sense that many of our sailors go on voyages using Ukrainian documents. They are forced to do this. Now they may be left without work. Can Russia give these people jobs right now?
We'll see how this situation is resolved. I understand that the easiest thing to do now is to shout: yes, hurray, go ahead! But we must think, first of all, about people. About ordinary people who need to feed their children, and not engage in demagoguery,” writes Besedin.
He rejects accusations against Crimeans that they are trying to cheat by keeping a second, Ukrainian passport after 2014.
“Why is Sberbank and Beeline, for example, forgiven for their cunning ass? Magnit or Pyaterochka? There are none on the peninsula. They don’t consider Crimea to be Russia. Etc. etc... When Crimea becomes fully part of Russia, then it will be possible to fully demand from the Crimeans. it's simple. And people sit and cheat not out of love for Ukraine, but out of the need to survive,” says Besedin.
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