German Party Head Refutes Media Reports on 'Chaos, Tanks' in Crimea

Immigrants from the former Soviet Union who are currently residing in Germany support Russia's position with regard to Crimea, a German politician stated.

After his visit to Crimea, the head of the German party UNITY (EINHEIT) Dimitri Rempel said that the German media presents the situation on the peninsula in a biased manner.

In reality, Crimean residents live their everyday life, in which "there is no place for the military and tanks on the streets," the politician claimed.

"The first thing we spotted, there was no military on the streets, no tanks and no chaos. We saw ordinary people hurrying about their own business," Rempel said.

Rempel visited Crimea to discuss possibilities of cooperation in the field of tourism, sports and public diplomacy. The politician and his colleagues arranged a meeting with the local authorities without giving proper notice and therefore do not believe that the Crimean administration "prepared" the peninsula for their visit.

In Rempel's opinion, the picture of Crimea is distorted by the German media, which trys to present the situation on the peninsula in a negative light. He also stressed that some German residents support Russia's stance in the Ukrainian conflict.

"The vast majority of Germans, immigrants from the former Soviet Union, supports Russia's position, including its stance on Crimea," Rempel said.

Crimea became part of Russia as result of a referendum that took place on March 16 in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. According to official statistics, 96.77% of Crimean voters voted in favor of Crimea's secession from Ukraine and its subsequent joining Russia.