Federal system would 'paralyze Ukraine'

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Pro-Russian protesters stand next to a barricade in front of the occupied regional administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine, 07 April 2014. According to reports, pro-Russian demonstrators stormed the administration building in Donetsk on 06 April 2014. Protesters are calling for former President Yanukovych to return to Ukraine and to hold a referendum on the status of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, similar to the recently held referendum in Crimea. EPA/PHOTOMIG

As Slawek Szefs reports, following the annexation of Crimea, the Kremlin has called for Ukraine to be split into a federal system, with eastern, Russian-speaking areas like Donetsk having semi-autonomy.

“This would simply create a dysfunctional Ukrainian state overwhelmed by paralysis,” says Wojciech Kononczuk from the Eastern Studies Center.