How wouldnt the eastern-Ukrainians have legitimacy to influence Ukraines shape and future if they hadnt rebeled? Nobody was gonna take their votingrights. They would have had legitimacy like any other regular citizen.
You seem to think that if there had been a legal vote for Maidan in the first place, the Ukraine would have been unanimous about where the country had to go after Yanukovitch bouts.
After Maidan was over and the government kicked out and replaced with 100% "new cool generation" pro-EU politicians, with various extraordinary changes to the laws of the country and the signing of various long-debated over trade deals... you really think those who didnt agree with all this would all duly wait for the next election?
The snap election which saw Poroshenko become president didnt even take place in the regions of Ukraine where there was most of the opposition, due to the already ongoing rebellion.
Most changes which requires dramatic changes like constitution changes, shuffling the entire government, evicting from office, requires a referendum or 2/3 of the votes from parliament/senate or a re-election, in most democratic country. Thats regular voting rights and citizenship. The use of such rules is to guarantee the stability of a country and to ensure that most of the countrymen are happy with the states of affairs through direct control or representatives.
Obviously, its not what happened here in the two situations. Both movements were/are using irregular and unlawful methods, why would one be more legitimate than the other?
And no it didnt start without Russia.
And Russia directly shot the MH117 and is invading Ukraine for 6 months in a row.
Eastern Ukraine unrest chronology :
- 23 february : Euromaidan is over and a success
- 23 february : various unrests starts in most of the eastern half of Ukraine
- 26 february : Crimea unrest is backed by garrisoned Russian troops
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- 26 february - 17 march : Crimea is progressively annexed
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- 26 february - 12 april : all other regions have 0 eminent Russian involvement and support (other than the all-purpose accusation of organising protests and spreading the dissatisfaction)
- 13 april : the first ever non-Crimean para-military administrative building occupation action (russian masked green men)
More detailed timeline for the bravest here.From 23 february to the 13 april, Russia was only involved in Crimea.
And if those green men were not russian soldiers, the next date would be when Luhanks and Donetsk Oblast became military backed by Russia, and go put a date on that
I'm not even talking of before the end of Maidan, anti-Maidan protests of small importance had already started to emerge.
You are able to draw a line between Ukrainian protesters/insurgents and Russia's interests, why dont you do it? You will understand every points of view without falling into anyone traps.
Murm & others
You remind me of the good old time in this thread
P.S.: EDIT OVER, PFEW.