
Russia: Crimeans reflect on five years since referendum
Crimeans reflected on changes in their lives on the peninsula since becoming part of the Russian Federation, in a series of interviews from Sevastopol on Saturday.
One resident Igor Vasilyev believes that a sense of security has returned to the region. "There was chaos - you could do whatever you wanted. Now, there is a rule of law."
A pensioner from Sevastopol, Elena Vasilyevna, said that living in Crimea has become "much better" with many positive changes in terms of infrastructure, however, much remains to be done in areas such as housing, utilities and medicine.
"Communal housing and medicine, I will say that it needs [improvement]. It is [not that good] everywhere, not only here in Sevastopol. The right approach has not been found for people yet," Vasilyevna explained.
Muscovites Nadezhda and Gennady, who work on the peninsula, have noticed considerable progress in Crimea in the last five years.
"It has become 20 years more modern during this time. The time has gone at a fast pace" - said Nadezhda.
He did point out, however, that local government should be reformed and people still needed to accept the rule of law.
"Those people, who were in charge of power five years ago, have stayed. They have become numb in twenty years. Here, somehow it is necessary to change this management scheme, to change the mentality of people. To teach people to live by the law," she added.
Another resident of Sevastopol, Victor, said Ukrainian authorities in Crimea used "corruption, various kinds of banditry and hooliganism" to force the local population "to decide how to continue to live."
A series of events marking the five-year anniversary since Crimea joined Russia will take place between March 15 and 18.

Crimeans reflected on changes in their lives on the peninsula since becoming part of the Russian Federation, in a series of interviews from Sevastopol on Saturday.
One resident Igor Vasilyev believes that a sense of security has returned to the region. "There was chaos - you could do whatever you wanted. Now, there is a rule of law."
A pensioner from Sevastopol, Elena Vasilyevna, said that living in Crimea has become "much better" with many positive changes in terms of infrastructure, however, much remains to be done in areas such as housing, utilities and medicine.
"Communal housing and medicine, I will say that it needs [improvement]. It is [not that good] everywhere, not only here in Sevastopol. The right approach has not been found for people yet," Vasilyevna explained.
Muscovites Nadezhda and Gennady, who work on the peninsula, have noticed considerable progress in Crimea in the last five years.
"It has become 20 years more modern during this time. The time has gone at a fast pace" - said Nadezhda.
He did point out, however, that local government should be reformed and people still needed to accept the rule of law.
"Those people, who were in charge of power five years ago, have stayed. They have become numb in twenty years. Here, somehow it is necessary to change this management scheme, to change the mentality of people. To teach people to live by the law," she added.
Another resident of Sevastopol, Victor, said Ukrainian authorities in Crimea used "corruption, various kinds of banditry and hooliganism" to force the local population "to decide how to continue to live."
A series of events marking the five-year anniversary since Crimea joined Russia will take place between March 15 and 18.