Russia on Wednesday celebrated the one-year anniversary of its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine with an open-air concert in the center of Moscow, where the crowds were addressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin said the Russian people had shown “amazing patriotism” by supporting the annexation of Crimea, which Moscow regards as a “historical return.”
Putin’s personal approval rating has reached record levels in the past year, despite the Crimea move leading to a worsening of relations with the West and the implementation of sanctions.
Photo: Reuters
“We understood that in terms of Crimea it was not a matter of just some territory, however strategically important it is,” Putin told the crowd. “It was a matter of millions of Russian people, our compatriots, who needed our help and support.”
A year after the annexation, Putin admitted in a documentary aired on Sunday that Russian soldiers were involved in a well-planned operation to take Crimea.
At the time, the Kremlin said that it merely responded to a local grassroots movement.
Russian television has been instrumental in promoting the new “patriotic” mood, and the head of a major state news agency, Dmitry Kiselev, said in a documentary that the anniversary should be a “celebration for all Russians.”
Putin had shown “tremendous sincerity” and should serve as an example for all world leaders, he said.
Meanwhile, as Russia celebrated one annexation, it appeared to pave the way for another.
South Ossetian leader Leonid Tibilov on Wednesday signed an “alliance and integration” treaty with Russia in the Kremlin.
The treaty integrates the security services, the military, the economy and border guards of South Ossetia with those of Russia.
Western leaders condemned the agreement, saying it violated Georgia’s sovereignty and international law.
Russia has run both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as protectorates after it recognized them as independent states following a brief war with Georgia in 2008.
“This so-called treaty is yet another move by the Russian Federation that hampers ongoing efforts by the international community to strengthen security and stability in the region,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.
In another incident, NATO jets intercepted eight Russian fighter jets and three transport planes in international waters over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday, the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense said.
“Civil aviation over the Baltic Sea was endangered because of the secretive way the airplanes flew,” a Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense spokesperson said.
Russia has resumed these flights in recent months, including an incident when British Royal Air Force jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian jets off the coast of Cornwall last month.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was