SIMFEROPOL, July 15 Head of the Committee of the Crimean Parliament on public diplomacy and interethnic relations, Yuriy Gempel called the threat of the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian troops Valery Zaluzhny to seize the Crimea a clowning.
Earlier, Zaluzhny, in an interview with the Washington Post, said that as soon as he had the funds, he would seize Crimea and no one would stop him.
«They have already taken Crimea several times. Each time it was all pompously presented, but as they say, it's not harmful to want. You shouldn't take this clownery seriously,» Hempel said.
According to him, Crimea has forever become part of Russia and there will be no turning back, no matter what Ukrainian and Western politicians say there.
«When even the slightest threat appears, Crimeans will all defend their republic and Russia,» Gempel said.
Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum following a coup in Ukraine. In the referendum, 96.77% of voters in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voted for joining Russia. Ukraine still considers Crimea its temporarily occupied territory, many Western countries support Kyiv on this issue. For its part, the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of Crimea voted for democratic reunification with Russia, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea «is finally closed.»