About 95% of those voting in Crimea’s referendum on secession from Ukraine, joining Russia, have voted Yes. The Crimean Parliament has ratified the discussion, while the Ukrainian Government has called up 40,000 troops.
Attention turns to Moscow. Will it recognize the Crimean result by moving towards annexation?
On Friday night, I spoke with BBC Radio 5 about the situation, using historical background to explain the situation — including Russian motivations — and to anticipate the weekend’s developments.
Listen to discussion from 12:21</b>
And on Monday afternoon, I joined BBC correspondents and German politician Michael Fuchs to discuss the significance of the European Union’s sanctions on 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials, as well as the post-referendum environment:
Listen to discussion from 1:07:35
The Russians are looking for leverage on the bigger Ukrainian question. They suffered a huge loss when they lost President Yanukovych last month. They fear that Ukraine will move closer to the European Union, and they see that as a loss of political and military influence.
They are using the Crimea as a pawn. I don’t think they necessarily want to annex the Crimea, but to use it as a Sword of Damocles over Ukraine.
