The day after he took over as leader of Crimea 12 years ago, I sat with Sergei Aksyonov amid the splendour of the Russian Theatre in Simferopol for an interview. I had just watched this Moldovan-born chancer – known locally as “Putin’s Puppet”- make a promise to hundreds of women attending a special concert: “We will protect you from any situation,” he declared, as Kremlin forces tightened their noose on this prized peninsular. His aim, he told me, was to make Crimea “the happiest place on earth”, insisting this was “undoubtedly with Russia” before inviting British leaders to visit for holidays and investing.
Aksyonov still rules Crimea. He typifies the shady types who run places grabbed from Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces: nicknamed The Goblin for alleged ties to organised crime and the head of a rabidly pro-Russian party that won a paltry four per cent vote in previous elections. But his realm is far from the happiest place on earth today. It has power cuts, food shortages and fuel restrictions. Summer camps for children are cancelled, tourism has collapsed. On Friday, so many people were fleeing after weeks of attacks by Ukraine that there was a five-hour queue of cars to cross the Kerch Bridge to Russia – and Aksyonov had to announce a state of emergency.
