So what? Crimea is more Russian than Hawaii is American. Would we give up the Hawaiian naval bases if there were riots by native Hawaiians in Oahu? Hell no.
I am no Putin fan. He is a thug, killer, and mega-thief. But it’s important to understand Crimea’s RUSSIAN history, and bogus political transfer to Ukraine by Khrushchev.
It’s important that folks understand that Russia moving (back) into Crimea is NOT the same as Russia moving into Latvia, Poland, or the rest of Ukraine.
For all Russians, Crimea is a true “red line” and worth fighting for. It is simply not correct to compare it in equal terms to other Eastern European countries, regardless of their percentages of Russian speakers.
There can always be an excuse for military invasion, and Russian history in Crimea is just an excuse. When Russians move to the rest of Ukraine and Kiev, their excuse would be, it’s a “mother of Rus cities and cradle of their civilization” and so on.
Baltic states - to protect the Russians there.
Poland - because they supported Ukrainian “nationalists” and generally are evil people /sarc
I’m glad you agree that Putin is a thug, but you don’t stop a thug after you grant him his wish, however well reasoned. You gotta nip that sucker in the bud