Crimea would've been greater tragedy than Odessa had it not joined Russia (Vladimir Putin)

There would have been far more casualties in Crimea than there were in Odessa, had the peninsula not joined Russia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

It was the right move, he said. "Had it not been done, we would have seen worse tragedies there than those we are now seeing in some Ukrainian cities, for example in Odessa where unarmed people were burnt alive in a building where they had been forced to hide: 50 people were burnt and as many have been unaccounted for. Where are they? In fact, they were murdered too.

• We have prevented a similar tragedy in Crimea and I think we were right in doing so," Putin told businessmen in St. Petersburg.

• He called for an objective and unbiased assessment of the situation.

[voiceofrussia.com]
23/5/14
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