This has always been about the Black Sea. It has been for centuries.
“This has always been about the Black Sea. It has been for centuries.”
Right. Crimea projects into the black sea, the Sebastopol Russian naval port is in the southern tip of Crimea. This is Russia vs Turkey, Tsars vs Ottomans, Christians vs Muslims. Turks control the Dardanelles straits. Sebastopol is the Russians counter-move.
Russia has the much larger busier warm water port of Novorossiysk for oil exports and other commercial traffic. Crimea is for projection of naval power. Not for exports.