A question, if I may.
What does America have to do with the Crimea? Why the sanctions and pushing themselves on the forefront for a piece of land that they didn't know existed a week ago? Why the anger on something that doesn't influence them in the slightest?
James, the Ukraine is situated in a geopolitically strategic location, and last year the government decided to ally itself more closely with Russia, than with the EU. This throws off the game plans for global hegemony outlined by Obama advisor Zybgniew Brzezinski. In attempting to overthrow the legitimate government, the USA funded fringe groups to provoke hostilities, protests, and insurrections within Ukraine, the culmination of which we saw in the riots & coup at the end of the Olympics. Unfortunately, just like in Iraq, & Libya, they got rid of the legitimate head of state, but have lost control of the region. They backed Neo Nazis to destabilize the country to put pressure on Yanukovych, and in the process created a coup that put those same Neo Nazi anti-semitic Nationalists in key Parliamentary positions, (some of whom have been known for causing terrorist attacks in Russia) and they have decided that the Ukraine is to be for Ukrainians only. Already we are ethnic cleansing and anti-Semitic attacks. Ethnicities other than Ukrainians being attacked and a Jewish man was beaten in the streets with baseball bats.
Crimea used to be a part of Russia. It was gifted to the Ukraine. 80% of its residents are ethnic Russians, and in an existing agreement between Ukraine and Russia, Russia has a permanent base with 25,000 troops at all times. The legitimate President of the Ukraine Yanukovych, requested Putin to deploy his soldiers, which Putin did to protect the ethnic Russians in Crimea. The Russians didn't "invade" Crimea as the main stream media would have you believe. They were already there, have been there for over a decade. They were simply deployed at the request of the legitimate President of the Ukraine, ...a request which Putin acquiesced to.
After the violent coup, and overthrow of the legitimate government, the Crimean Parliament voted to secede from the Ukraine, and rejoin Russia. It was put to a referendum, and the residents of Crimea voted an overwhelmingly
97% to secede from the Ukraine and the illegitimate ultra right wing neo nazi nationalists, and rejoin Russia.
Basically it's like gifting California to Mexico, but giving the US permission to maintain their bases in San Diego.
Then 20 years later a military coup topples the gov't, and a radical xenophobic group like LaRaza seizes power and declares Mexico is for the descendants of Moctezuma only. Then the ousted President of Mexico put a call in to Washington pleading send in the troops... Sacramento votes to have California secede from Mexico to rejoin the USA, ...the governor floats a proposition, and 97% of Californians say we want to be Americans again.
It's amazing how they're able to keep straight faces with all the blatant hypocrisy. A 97% vote illegitimate?