Olga, since you like to recall the results of the votes in the eastern regions of Ukraine that Putin organized after his "special operation" and which effectively gave an overwhelming majority to the pro-Russians. I could remind you that the referendum on the independence of Ukraine organized in 1991 after the fall of USSR, gave a strong majority for the independence of Ukraine with more than 92% yes. Even the eastern regions including Crimea had a majority in favor of independence with a small advantage certainly but a majority nonetheless. I think that these votes took place in fairer circumstances than those organized by Putin. These regions saw such forced population displacements that it is difficult to speak of decisions of the indigenous people. I remind you that in the case of Crimea the true people of origin are the Tatars who were deported in large part by Stalin.
I could remind you that the referendum on the independence of Ukraine organized in 1991 after the fall of the USSR, gave a strong majority for the independence of Ukraine with more than 92% yes.//
I remember (or rather, leaflets from those times are recorded on the Internet) - where Ukraine is compared to a second Switzerland and France, if they (the Ukrainians) did not feed the entire Soviet Union. Here is the USSR gone and even despite the fact that Putin gave huge privileges to Ukraine (for example, gratuitous loans, practically just gave away billions of dollars, the price of gas was at domestic Russian prices, etc.), Ukraine not only did not become equal to the economy of Switzerland or France, Ukraine does not reach the level of development of the Ukrainian SSR.
However, when the USSR was being destroyed, a lot of people wanted to leave the sinking ship, including Russians.
And in 2014 - the situation was similar, Ukraine was sinking, the president was overthrown, a bloody dictator who was afraid to shoot a crowd of protesters in order to save the country, as the Chinese did on the square with an unpronounceable name in 1989. If the Ukrainians tried to protest now, under the radiant democrat Zelensky - they would be mowed down with machine guns, they are not rebelling, although there are more than enough reasons.
So, the country was falling apart, a lot of people did not want to live under the president who glorifies Nazis and Banderites - that's why they voted against being part of Ukraine - it seems democratic to me. Or is it democratic for you when it's against the USSR and in no case the other way around?
Moreover, Putin did not recognize the results of the vote in the LPR and DPR in 2014, and the genocide of the civilian population of the LPR and DPR by Ukraine began.
Why would Putin organize the vote - if he did not recognize the results of the vote??
and yes, I feel very sorry for the people from the LPR and DPR, they found themselves between a rock and a hard place, they voted to join the Russian Federation, but they simply don't know the current Russian Federation.
one small example, but very indicative - last summer, the country is in a difficult war, thousands of people are dying, part of the Kursk region is captured, people demand to pass a law on the creation of local self-defense, to distribute weapons to civilians - the government passes a law banning gender reassignment for transsexuals, fuck!!!
very fucking relevant, timely and necessary!
and so on in everything