MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. The fact that Ukraine is on a negative trajectory under the influence of the West was already obvious by mid-2013, Crimean Deputy Prime Minister and Permanent Representative to the Russian President Georgy Muradov told TASS.

"It was already clear in mid-2013 that Ukraine, under the influence of the West, was moving towards a negative scenario. The draft agreement on the country's associate membership in the European Union, which was being prepared at the time, envisioned the curtailment of Ukraine's relations with Russia, and forced [Kiev’s] subordination in the sphere of foreign and defense policy, but did not provide anything positive for the development of Ukraine itself, including in the sphere of foreign trade. Everything was aimed only at 'stealing' Ukraine from its centuries-old orientation on fraternal relations with Russia and turning it into a state hostile to us," he said.

Muradov, who at the time served as deputy head of Russia’s Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation, pointed out that after the coup in Kiev, the real threat of war and the cutting of all ties between Ukraine and Russia loomed over Crimea. "Crimeans could not and did not want to live in such conditions. That is why a referendum was held, a historic decision was made - to return to Russia. <...> Therefore, it was not difficult to predict what would happen in Crimea if Kiev followed an anti-Russian course and began to create an existential threat to Russia. And that is what happened," the senior Crimean official explained.

According to Muradov, the conditions for this were created under Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in 2005-2010. "It was his course on Ukraine's accession to NATO, the idea of joining the European Union, which was disastrous for the country's economy, that laid the groundwork for the coup. Later, the vacillation and inconsistency of [Ukrainian] President Viktor Yanukovich (in office in 2010-2014 - TASS) allowed pro-Western sentiments to mature, which were generously fueled by infusions of money from well-known American and European foundations that ended up in the pockets of the radical anti-Russian opposition, which was nurtured by the West," Muradov said.

After Yanukovich was ousted in a violent coup in Kiev in February 2014, mass protests began in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. On March 11, 2014, Crimea’s Supreme Council and the Sevastopol City Council adopted a declaration of independence.

On March 16, 2014, a referendum was held on the peninsula’s reunification with Russia. Over 80% of voters participated in the plebiscite, the overwhelming majority of whom supported reunification (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol). On March 18, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on the admission of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia, and on March 21, the document was ratified by the Federal Assembly (full parliament). Despite the convincing results of the referendum, reflecting the clear will of the local population, Kiev has refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.