Helsingin Sanomat reports: crowd chants "Next Poland and Finland!"
Nice bunch of fellows. Maybe Finns should gather around and chant "return Petsamo, Karelia and Viipuri"? Same news item has also been reported by MTV and Ilta-Sanomat.Helsingin Sanomat wrote:"Next Poland and Finland" - thousands celebrate the annexation of Crimea by Russia
Moscow. Thousands of people gathered gathered to celebrate in a concert the anniversary of Crimea being added to Russia in central Moscow on Wednesday evening. According to the police, over 110 000 people had gathered there.
The event known as "We together" had President Vladimir Putin as the main speaker.
"When we talk about Crimea, we don't just talk about territory, no matter how strategically important it may be", Putin said. "We are then talking about millions of Russians and millions of countrymen who needed our aid and support."
After the speech the excited crowd chanted, according to RBK channel reporter witnessing the event, "in all seriousness" the motto "olé olé olé, Crimea is ours, give us Poland and Finland". Geographically the conquest of Poland might, however, demand in addition of Ukraine the annexation of Belarus first.
The event was held next to the Kremlin's walls on Vasily's hill between Saint Vasily's Cathedral and Moscow River. The scene of murder of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on the near bridge over Moscow River was surrounded by the police during the event.
Attendees to the celebration also came from countryside and according to the attendees, several employers had given them a day-off to honor the Krimea celebration.
Rumors have floated in social media that the attendees received a small reward. It is claimed that in a video made public on Facebook people are given money for their participation in the celebration. (note: link is here)
Putin arrived to the scene straight from a meeting of Ministers held in the Kremlin. According to the media he had said that Russia's aim is "a self-sufficient Crimea and Sevastopol" during the meeting.
According to the report published on Thursday by newspaper Nezavisimaja Gazeta, Putin's goals are still far away. Crimea is entirely dependent on Russia's support, and the amount of budget support it receives from the Federation is on the same level as Chechenya and Ingushetia.