Putin to Head of Crimea: it’s our responsibility to ensure everyone has a job they like
On October 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with newly appointed Russian governors, including the Head of the annexed Republic of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov.
Aksyonov reported on his Facebook page about the tasks that the Russian President sets before newly elected governors.
"President Putin noted that to achieve big national development goals, it is necessary to make sure that every person has a job he likes and prosperity so that both large and small cities and rural areas have comfortable living conditions. It is the main task of the authorities at all levels, and that is the goal of our work," Aksyonov wrote.
He added that on October 16, he will present the draft development program of the Crimean Council of Ministers for the next five years.
On September 20, at the session of the Crimean Parliament, Aksyonov was re-elected to a new five-year term as the Head of the Crimea.
On September 8, the Russian authorities held elections of deputies of the Crimean Parliament and local councils in Crimea and Sevastopol. According to the results of the elections, the LDPR party got ten seats in the Crimean Parliament, the Communist party got five seats, and the United Russia party got 60 seats.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called the Russian elections in Crimea and Sevastopol "null and void" and called on the international community to give a "principled assessment" of these elections.
The European Union does not recognize the elections of deputies of parliaments and local councils held on September 8 by the Russian authorities in Crimea and Sevastopol.
In February 2014, armed people in uniforms without insignias appeared in Crimea and captured the Supreme Council of Crimea, the Simferopol Airport, the Kerch ferry crossing and other strategic objects, and prevented the Ukrainian army from taking action. Initially, the Russian government refused to acknowledge that these armed people were Russian soldiers, but President Vladimir Putin later admitted it.
On 16 March 2014, a referendum on the status of Crimea was held in Crimea and Sevastopol, in which the inhabitants supposedly voted for the peninsula to become part of Russia. The outcome of the so-called referendum is not recognized by Ukraine, the EU or the US. On 18 March, Putin announced the “annexation” of Crimea to Russia.
International organizations have declared the annexation illegal and condemned Russia’s actions. Western countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia in connection with the annexation. Russia claims to have “restored historical justice”. Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, declared 20 February 2014 the start of Russia’s temporary occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol.