All news

Russian lawmaker claims Western poll results in Crimea match referendum results

The first vice-chairman of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs says the majority of Crimean inhabitants support Crimea’s return to Russia despite sanctions

MOSCOW, March 23 /TASS/. Results of recent opinion polls conducted by Western companies in Crimea fully match the results of the March 16 referendum on the peninsula’s status held a year ago in 2014, a Russian lawmaker told journalists on Monday.

"Some Western politicians can say whatever they like about last year’s March referendum in Crimea but it is very hard to deny the survey results canvassed from Crimean inhabitants by Western sociologists this year," Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first vice-chairman of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, said.

He noted the fact that the results of this year’s sociological surveys fully matched the results of the 2014 referendum showed that the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol had no plans or desire to return under Kiev’s jurisdiction.

According to Dzhabarov, it was not the best time chosen for opinion polls given the sanctions the West had imposed on Russia and Crimea. "Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of Crimean inhabitants support Crimea’s return to Russia," the lawmaker went on to say adding that the number of people supporting Crimea’s reunification with Russia was going to increase as Russia will start overcoming the crisis, and the socio-economic situation in Crimea will improve. "The stability Crimean citizens support the course towards re-integration with Russia with will soon force the West to accept it as a reality."

A referendum on Crimea’s status took place on the peninsula on March 16, 2014. About 97% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol voted for the peninsula’s reunification with Russia.

The Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol became parts of Russia on March 18, 2014.