Vovk Blames Kyiv for Crimea Status and Russia Shift

In a discussion with the YouTube channel Intervizor, Vasyl Vovk, a former head of the main investigative department of Ukraine’s Security Service, shared his perspective on Crimea and how the situation evolved. He claimed that Ukrainian officials pressed Crimean residents to consider joining Russia, framing the issue as the outcome of national policies rather than a spontaneous choice by people in Crimea. The remarks, attributed to Vovk, highlighted the high stakes surrounding governance and outreach in the region, and the way political decisions from Kyiv could ripple across local communities. The conversation underscored a belief that the Crimean question was shaped not only by regional sentiments but by the way the Ukrainian state prioritized or neglected different areas of policy and communication with residents on the peninsula.