Crimea's New Leader

Aksyonov has defended a decision to hold a referendum on whether the region should join Russia, saying on Saturday that 'no one' could cancel the voting

Putin’s Man in Crimea Is Ukraine’s Worst Nightmare -- Simon Shuster, Time

Little is known about Sergei Aksyonov, the pro-Russia Crimean leader, who rose from obscurity in a month and who is driving the region toward secession

A month ago, when Ukraine’s old regime was just starting to crack under the pressure of a revolution, few people in the country had ever heard of Sergei Aksyonov. He was then a marginal figure even in the local politics of the region of Crimea. His Russian Unity party had only three seats in the regional legislature and no representation anywhere else. But that has not stopped him from taking charge. In late January, as the protesters in Kiev began seizing government buildings, Aksyonov started to form an army on the Crimean peninsula. Now he is the de facto leader of the entire region, a post that has thrust him into the center of the most dire political crisis Europe has confronted in years.

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Previous Post: Will This Be Crimea's New Leader?

My Comment: Sergei Aksyonov is now the defacto leader of Crimea. And while the international community will not recognize him .... this Sunday's referendum will give him legitimacy in the eyes of the Russian population in Crimea and in Russia itself. What worries the central government of Ukraine is that they are aware that there are even more "Sergei Aksyonovs" in eastern Ukraine .... and they are the asking the question ... if Crimea could secede why not them. My prediction .... expect even more independent groups forming and pushing for referendums on seceding from Ukraine in the coming weeks.