Today in Kerch, Crimea, while some people glumly walked to polling stations with the understanding that their vote won’t change a thing, Russia’s supporters celebrated the long-awaited day.
Overall, I would describe atmosphere as unhealthily optimistic.
People who either have no idea what’s going on or who hope for a better life decided to close their eyes to what has been happening in Crimea for the past two weeks. According to exit polls, around 30 percent of all voters went to polling stations in the first hours after their opening on 8 a.m. Throughout the day, people congratulated each other in the streets.
Most of people I know here in Crimea voted, so the high turnout rate is not a surprise. The big question is if the voices of people wanting Crimea to stay within Ukraine were actually heard — and counted.
I spent several hours at two polling stations and heard different opinions from friends and neighbors.
I would say the pro-Russian voters are happier about leaving Ukraine than joining Russia.
They point at such facts as, during 22 years of independence, two ports and 90 percent of enterprises in Kerch went bankrupt and that an enormous number of people were left unemployed.
Young pro-Russian voters said that people are fed up seeing Russian tourists coming every summer, bragging about their higher salaries and social guarantees.
Crimeans share a common past with Russians. Some people still have Russian passports here and it is unbearable for them to see that people just one hour away from them live better.
The main reason for people to vote for Crimea staying in Ukraine was that they are against war. Pro-Ukrainian voters confessed they don’t believe Russia will be satisfied with Crimean territory and will move its troops further to southeastern Ukraine.
Throughout the day, several cars were seen driving around Kerch with Russian flags. A big stage right across the Vladimir Lenin statue in the center of town was constructed for a pro-Russian concert, celebrating the result of a referendum that Russia seemed to be sure of long ago.
The concert started with the closing of voting stations at 8 p.m. Right now, the center of Kerch is full of people being entertained by Russian music bands. A lot of people are drinking alcohol right on the streets as tomorrow has been announced as a holiday in Crimea.
While there were no conflicts at the polling stations I visited, there were no international observers as well, except those appointed by Russia.
What shocked me the most is, when on our voting station election committee gave out ballots to people, they checked my parent’s passports and never checked mine.
In fact, I never even showed my passport to anyone at the polling station.
I mean yes it makes sense that a family of three came to vote together, but they do have to check everyone’s identity.
Otherwise, we know how this works in Russia. At the second polling station, a big flap was made when a young man used a cell phone camera with a flash to take a picture inside the polling booth.
Russian observers were furious and scolded an election committee, consisting of five babushkas, for being inattentive. After the incident, several soldiers entered the voting station and stayed there for almost two hours.
Coming and going, voters looked at them with surprise and tried to behave.
After all, it’s not that easy to vote at gunpoint.
Nataliia Protasova is a freelance writer and contributor to the Kyiv Post.
