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“Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and held a plebiscite where the people voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia. The first language of the majority of the population is Russian.”

Illegally. No international bodies, including the UN, recognize the “annexation.” According to you, Ukraine has no say in the matter. Whatever Russia wants, Russia gets, eh?

“The Ukrainians made no significant effort to retake Crimea.”

Get real. Ukraine was supposed to attack a nuclear power that was on record that Ukraine was illegitimate and had no right to exist as an independent and sovereign nation? And while Ukraine was in the midst of a civil war? Again, get real.

“The chances of Crimea returning to Ukraine are slim to none, and slim just left town.”

Doesn’t make it right.

“That is the reality, which you wish to ignore.”

I don’t ignore it at all. But, it’s not right, or legal. But right and legality mean nothing to you; all you recognize is raw power. I wonder how you’ll react when China exerts raw power and starts taking Russian territory; because, you know, it will.

Bullies are the same everywhere. They are always insecure, and are always just punks.

Illegally. No international bodies, including the UN, recognize the “annexation.” According to you, Ukraine has no say in the matter. Whatever Russia wants, Russia gets, eh?

The UN doesn't recognize Israel's "occupied territories" from the 6 Day War and control over the Golan Heights. China has Tibet and took over Hong Kong in violation of the agreement with the UK. Russia has part of Karelia taken from Finland. I could provide a list of territorial disputes involving most of the countries in the world, including the US and most of Europe.

For someone who claims to be knowledgeable about history, you are either ill-informed or hopelessly naive about realpolitik.

So you admit what is going on in Donbass is a civil war. Good start. Russia wants them to be independent states now that Ukraine failed to implement the 2015 Minsk Agreement that would have given the Eastern provinces greater autonomy. The civil war was going on for over 8 years before the Russian invasion. Also, yes, Ukraine is powerless to retake Crimea. That is reality.

Is Israel a bully? Again, "raw power" is always a factor in territorial disputes. And there is historical context that under-girds territorial claims. Colonialism, imperialism, and wars affect territorial boundaries. Maps were redrawn after WWI and WWII with the victors often dictating boundary lines often ignoring cultural and historical factors.

Crimea was given to Ukraine by the Soviet Union in 1954. It was more of an administrative decision since Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Crimea was part of Russia for hundreds of years. Ukraine became a truly independent country in 1991. But it has yet to be a nation witness the civil war going on in the Eastern provinces. Others drew Ukraine's boundaries.