March 22, 2014: After the Republic of Crimea overwhelmingly approved a referendum to rejoin Russia, protests demanding a similar secession vote in their own regions have only intensified. Over 8000 signatures were collected by protesters who rallied in Taganrog's Ukrainian partner city Mariupol under white-blue-and-red Russian flags. They call for President Vladimir Putin to send in "peacekeeping troops" to protect the Russian-speaking majority in the region, to drive out radical ultranationalists and to help in holding a referendum to rejoin Russia.

Following the first delegation that came in early March, the group transmitted the new appeal into The Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in Rostov-on-Don.

"March 8, 2014 many thousands of protesters took to the streets in Mariupol with one wish - holding a referendum on self-determination of Donetsk Oblast. We are not allowed to do that, they say we are not worthy. Yesterday we ceased to be Ukrainian subjects, now they call us "pro-Russians", said Mr. Igor Lyutikov in an interview to regional TV channels.