REUTERS/Mikhail Metzel/RIA Novosti/Kremlin
The moves accelerates the Ukraine crisis, which has become a huge international problem, and undercuts efforts by the U.S. to de-escalate the situation through talks with the Kremlin.
As explained by Alissa Carbonnel of Reuters: "Far from seeking a diplomatic way out, Putin appears to have chosen to create facts on the ground before the West can agree on more than token action against him."
Shaun Walker, the Moscow correspondent for The Guardian, has been on the ground in Crimea for the last week and tweeted a conversation he had with a Crimean politician:
Crimea politician: This now Russian territory. Only legal troops here russian. any troops of a 3rd country will be treated as illegal bands.
- Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 6, 2014
The referendum is only to confirm. Decision has already been taken. From today Crimea is russian, if kremlin accepts. Wow.
- Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 6, 2014
And here's Walker commenting how fast things have been moving on the strategic Black Sea peninsula:
Many moments in the last few weeks where I've just been stopped dead in my tracks by the speed of Ukraine developments. Today another one.
- Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 6, 2014
He added a joke referring to the Crimean government's choice to move the referendum from May 25 to March 30 to March 16:
Translated twitter joke via @metkere : Crimean authorities have changed the date of the referendum again. It will now take place yesterday.
- Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) March 6, 2014
Previously the referendum was about autonomy, but it appears that the Kremlin-friendly government in Crimea has decided on full secession.
The new government in Kiev says that the move would be illegitimate, but it's not clear what they can do with Russian soldiers in control of the entire peninsula.