Yanukovych says he would like the Crimea to return to Ukraine
Former Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia, said he would like the Crimea to return to Ukraine. Interfax news agency quoted him as saying that the "cowardly" Ukrainian authorities were afraid to "use force and bar the referendum [in the Crimea]."
Yanukovych stated that he had met with the Crimeans and seen their alarm that the Maidan revolution could spread to the Crimea. According to him, Pro-Russian sentiment had been there already, it only needed an occasion – and indeed it was created.
In February 2014, so-called "Polite People" from Russia appeared in the Crimea. They by force brought together the Republican State Council deputies for a session which was held in a building cordoned off by armed people.
Under these circumstances, it was decided to hold a referendum, which took only two weeks to prepare. Moreover, the original question about Crimea's independence from Ukraine was replaced with a question about joining the Russian Federation.
On March 18, 2014, an agreement was signed "On the admission of the Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation," which Moscow considers a return of the Crimea, but Kyiv considers and occupation. In January 2016, Vladimir Putin admitted to the presence of Russian soldiers in the Crimea.