On a slightly different side note, if you ever wanna read a State Department warning about a nation, click on their link below regarding Syria. I’m convinced that not even the wildest adrenalin junkie would wanna go there:
Definitely click on the link for Safety & Security. Syria still sounds like one hair-raising experience
The Russian government overthrew the entire judicial system within Crimea and replaced the existing judges with Russian judicial hacks who tow the Kremlin line.
These new Russian "judges" throughout Crimea have actively participated in using the rigged "courts" to steal businesses and property (especially valuable properties in prime locations) from their rightful owners.
Russian, thug, mobsters, government officials and members of the military show up with phony forged "deeds" claiming that they own the property being contested and these corrupt Russian judges that have been "installed", rule in favor of these charlatans against the rightful Crimean property owners and award these properties to these Russian thieves.
Crimea was beautiful and a wonderful place to go on vacation. The tourist industry thrived before Russia literally MINED the border with Ukraine and turned the whole peninsula into a giant prison camp where Russian troops/thugs armed with automatic weapons rome at will; threaten business unless they "pay protection money", and shake down tourists and the residents of Crimea, especially the multitude of people who are not ethnic Russians at the point of a gun.
Russia has turned once beautiful Crimea into a hell-hole and totally destroyed the once thriving tourist industry. Is it any wonder no one in their right mind wants to vacation there (unless you are Russian), and the major cruise lines now avoid the place like the plague.
And all you Russian apologists here on FR, don't you dare lie and say "Crimea belonged to Russia" because that is patently false. Nikita Kruchev deeded Crimea back to Ukraine back in 1951.
Also don't use the lying excuse that "Russia needed Crimea back because of its strategic naval base in Simpheropol." Because the fact of the matter is a few years PRIOR to Russia's illegal invasion and unlawful annexation of Crimea, the Ukrainian government had agreed to and signed a 75 year lease with Putin's Russian government, permitting Russia full, unfettered access to these strategic instalations.