Crucially, Putin claimed that Russia had no interest in annexing other provinces in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking east and south — although he made a similar claim about Crimea two weeks previous that proved false. “Don’t believe those who are trying to scare you with Russia,” Putin said, addressing the Ukrainian people. “They say we want to break off other regions of Ukraine. We don’t need that.
“Kiev is the mother of Russian cities. Ancient Rus is our common source. We cannot live without one another.”
Putin has refused to recognize the new government in Kiev, which he says is made up of “usurpers” under the thumb of “nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes, and anti-Semites” launching “terror” and “pogroms” against Ukraine’s large Russian-speaking minority. Putin availed himself of the right to send troops to Ukraine, ostensibly to defend Russian-speakers, on March 1, but claims he has yet to do so despite the Russian soldiers seen all over Crimea.
Ukraine effectively lost control of Crimea in late February when thousands of Russian troops seized the province, a fact confirmed by a referendum Sunday in which 95% of voters opted to join Russia.
“Literally everything in Crimea is pierced with our pride and history,” Putin said. “Crimea was and will remain an indelible part of Russia in people’s hearts and minds.”
Western governments and Ukraine have refused to recognize the referendum, which had no option to join the status quo and was held with numerous obvious procedural violations. The U.S. and the European Union announced separate sanctions lists Monday punishing Russia for approving the referendum, though they fell well short of going after key policymakers or attacking Moscow’s economic interests.
Putin dismissed notions raised in recent weeks by U.S. and European officials that Russia’s actions over Ukraine would come to hurt it. “I’d like to know what they mean. The actions of a fifth column of national traitors? We take statements like that to be aggressive and will respond to them in the proper manner.”
Article Appeared @http://www.buzzfeed.com/maxseddon/vladimir-putin-annexes-crimea-and-throws-down-gauntlet-to-we