RUSSIA: Over twenty thousand people gather on Red Square at a Russian government-sanctioned rally and concert in support of the Crimean people

Record ID: 214280

  • Title: RUSSIA: Over twenty thousand people gather on Red Square at a Russian government-sanctioned rally and concert in support of the Crimean people
  • Date: 7th March 2014
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 7, 2014) (REUTERS) ONION-SHAPED DOMES OF CHURCH ON RED SQUARE CROWD GATHERING FOR RALLY IN SUPPORT OF CRIMEA ON TOP OF STAGE, LETTERS READING (Russian): 'WE ARE TOGETHER' CROWD, MANY WAVING RUSSIAN FLAGS VARIOUS OF RALLY CROWD ON RED SQUARE SECURITY FORCES (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) LAWYER FROM MOSCOW, ANATOLY, SAYING: "I think we need to support (Crimea), because really it is our land, our grandfathers and grand- grandfathers shed their blood there and I think Crimea and Ukraine in general, we all should be in one space, Crimea should be part of Russia." SECURITY FORCES CROWD (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BOOKKEEPER FROM MOSCOW, VERA ZAITSEVA, SAYING: "All people living in Crimea consider themselves Russians. For a long time they've been willing to become Russian citizens, because they really didn't like what's happened long time ago, when Crimea stopped being Russian." VARIOUS OF RALLY SECURITY FORCES AT END OF RALLY
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA4AZ0DCFU297O1OM1ZOAL0SJZM
  • Story Text: Several thousand people gathered in Moscow on Red Square near the Kremlin on Friday (March 7) for a government-sanctioned rally and concert billed as being "in support of the Crimean people".
    Reuters television crew estimated the number of participants at 20,000 people. Police said 65,000 people attended the rally.
    Pop stars took to the stage and demonstrators held signs with slogans such as "Crimea is Russian land", "We don't trade our people for money" and "We believe in Putin".
    For some of the participants, Crimea is and has always been a part of Russia.

    "I think we need to support (Crimea), because really it is our land, our grandfathers and grand- grandfathers shed their blood there and I think Crimea and Ukraine in general, we all should be in one space, Crimea should be part of Russia," Moscow lawyer Anatoly said.

    "All people living in Crimea consider themselves Russians. For a long time they've been willing to become Russian citizens, because they really didn't like what's happened long time ago, when Crimea stopped being Russian," Vera Zaitseva, a bookkeeper from Moscow, said.
    The crisis in Crimea, a peninsula in the South of Ukraine populated by a majority of Russian-speakers, escalated on Thursday (March 6) when its parliament voted to join Russia and organise a referendum. The region's government set a referendum for March 16.
    Ukraine's border guards said Moscow had poured troops into the region where Russian forces have seized control last weekend.
    Russian President Vladimir Putin denies that the forces with no national insignia that are surrounding Ukrainian troops in their bases are under Moscow's command, although their vehicles have Russian military plates. The West has ridiculed his assertion.
    It is the most serious east-west confrontation since the end of the Cold War - resulting from the overthrow last month of President Viktor Yanukovich after violent protests in Kiev.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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