New York Times: If History Is a Guide, Crimeans’ Celebration May Be Short-Lived

As Crimeans celebrated becoming united with Russia, few watched closely as the residents of the tiny mountainous enclave of South Ossetia, who, five and a half years ago, were similarly ecstatic.

New York Times journalists Olesya Vartanyan and Ellen Barry reported if process continues like it did in Georgia’s two breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Crimeans will soon be disappointed.

The article was published on the New York Times website on March 18.

I think that in Russia, the majority of the society forgot about Ossetia and if it weren’t for the Olympics, the majority of the society would also forget about Abkhazia,” Mr. Malashenko said. Of course Crimea is not Ossetia. But anyway, the popularity of Crimeans, and the Crimean tragedy, will be forgotten in a year.

Read the full article on: www.nytimes.com