Ukrainian Intelligence: Protest sentiments are growing in Crimea
Protest sentiments are growing in Crimea, and clear proof of this is an emergence of pro-Ukrainian inscriptions and symbols in the annexed territory, as stated by a representative of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Vadim Skibitskiy, Krym.Realii reported.
“The problems with the electicity and water supply remain unresolved. Public-sector employees wages are declining. Meanwhile, the cost of living is increasing in the occupied Crimea. Such situation leads to an increase in protest sentiments among local people and their discontent with the activity of local authorities. There has been an emergence of inscriptions and Ukrainian symbols in settlements of Crimea with the demand to return Crimea to Ukraine,” he said.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014 in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the Peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.