Valeriy Chaly: After March 16, Crimea can face dangerous situation

Kyiv, March 11, 2014 – “Crimea can face a dangerous situation after the Crimean referendum, which will be held on March 16,” Valeriy Chaly, deputy director general of Razumkov Centre said during a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

“They will try not to use force before the so-called referendum but after March 16, a dangerous situation may arise”, said Mr. Chaly. According to him, Ukrainian forces are ready for defence and Russia is ready for active steps as well. ‘Ukrainian and Russian forces are disparate. It is evident that a full-scale war in Ukraine can be fought not just by army forces but also by the whole nation”, he said.

According to Mr. Chaly, the primary task today is to preclude any military confrontation: “Whoever makes the first shot is going to lose.” In addition, no martial law has been declared in Ukraine and any military operation can be launched only after the relevant resolution by the Parliament.

The expert also noted that Russia seriously violates the terms of the Russian Fleet stationing on the Ukrainian territory. At the same time, Ukraine is taking every attempt to preserve economic relations with Russia. “People of Ukraine and Russia should not become hostages of political relations between both countries,” Mr. Chaly emphasized.

“It is clear that the results of the referendum will not be recognized by Ukraine or the world,” said Mr. Chaly. He told the claim that the majority of citizens living in Crimea supports joining Russia is an absolute lie. According to Razumkov Centre, a mere 7% of Crimean population support the idea of Crimea joining Russia, 80% are against the idea, and 13% have no opinion.

Valeriy Chaly is a Ukrainian political expert, deputy director general of Razumkov Centre for political affairs. 2009 to 2010 he was a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.