General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Time for Realism and Common Sense on Ukraine [View all]scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)Russia needs the Black Sea access that Crimea provides. It does not want this access threatened by the spread of NATO into Ukraine. Therefore, the calculation was made that getting full control of Crimea by military incursion and the quick "referendum" was the surest way to guarantee that Crimea's Black Sea port remained under its control. Disapproval from the rest of the international community be damned.
World powers will always find excuses for their actions, why should Russia be any different? No one with any intelligence believes the "protecting Russian citizens" excuse, least of all other world powers. They are fully aware of what Putin's game is in Crimea, and they understand his reasons quite well, since they would do the same if their own access to a vital trade route were threatened.
Putin acted with dispatch and created the "facts on the ground" that he needed. No amount of scolding is going to change that.