SIMFEROPOL, January 2. /TASS/. Crimean leader Sergey Aksyonov thanked the peninsula’s residents "for patience, self-possession and patriotism" following a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) on Crimeans’ attitude toward an energy supply contract suggested by Ukraine.
"Kiev.. had better forget about return of Crimea to Ukraine… They fully lost the Crimean market and set Crimeans even more against themselves," Aksyonov said.
The results of the poll, he said, were not a surprise for him.
"People are ready to tolerate temporary inconveniences but don’t want to deal with the spiteful Kiev regime, accomplices of terrorists," Aksyonov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 31, 2015 gave instructions to conduct a sociological poll of the population in Crimea and Sevastopol.
VTsIOM Director-General Valery Fyodorov said January 1 that most Crimean residents said that the commercial contract to supply energy from Ukraine to Crimea and Sevastopol should not mention Kiev's claim that the peninsula is allegedly part of Ukraine. A total of 94% of Crimeans also expressed readiness to tolerate problems with energy supplies for 3-4 months.
Crimea was left without power overnight to November 22 after unknown assailants blew up electricity pylons in Ukraine’s Kherson Region. An energy saving regime was imposed on the peninsula, with many enterprises suspending their activity; rolling blackouts started in all inhabited localities.
The situation stabilized after the launch on December 2 of the first thread of the "energy bridge" from Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory, which gave the peninsula an additional 250 MW of electric power. The commissioning of the second thread of the "energy bridge" on December 15 increased its power to 400 MW.
Another two threads are to be commissioned in spring, which will make it possible to make Crimea independent of Ukrainian electric energy. Besides, the construction of two basic thermal electric power plants with the power of 940 MW has started.
Overnight to December 31, power supply of Crimea from Ukraine through the only working power transmission line "Kakhovka-Titan" was disrupted again. According to preliminary expert conclusions, an explosion caused the collapse of a power transmission line pylon.
The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russians, refused to recognize the legitimacy of authorities brought to power amid riots during a coup in Ukraine in February 2014.
Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification deals March 18, 2014.
Despite Moscow’s repeated statements that the Crimean referendum on secession from Ukraine was in line with the international law and the UN Charter and in conformity with the precedent set by Kosovo’s secession from Serbia in 2008, the West and Kiev have refused to recognize the legality of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
Work to integrate the Crimean Peninsula into Russia’s economic, financial, credit, legal, state power, military conscription and infrastructure systems has been actively underway since Crimea acceded to the Russian Federation.