{"id":97775,"date":"2015-03-09T14:01:42","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T14:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=97775"},"modified":"2015-03-09T14:01:42","modified_gmt":"2015-03-09T14:01:42","slug":"putin-reveals-secret-crimea-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2015\/03\/putin-reveals-secret-crimea-takeover\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin reveals secret Crimea takeover"},"content":{"rendered":"
Vladimir Putin has admitted for the first time that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the referendum on self-determination.<\/p>\n
Crimea was formally absorbed into Russia on 18 March, to international condemnation, after unidentified gunmen took over the peninsula.<\/p>\n
Mr Putin said on TV he had ordered work on “returning Crimea” to begin at an all-night meeting on 22 February.<\/p>\n
The meeting was called after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted.<\/p>\n
Speaking last year, Mr Putin had said only that he took his final decision about Crimea after secret, undated opinion polls showed 80% of Crimeans favoured joining Russia.<\/p>\n
The findings of these polls were borne out by the outcome of the referendum on 16 March, he told Russian state TV last April.<\/p>\n