He has his naval base, so what else does he need the Crimea for? I'm telling you those Crimean "Russians" will be waiting a long time for Putin to ride in on his big white horse and save them. They will be waiting just as long as the Serbs who are still waiting for Putin to liberate Kosovo and the Syrian Christians who actually believe that Putin will protect them. People who put their hope in the psychotic mass-murderer Putin are fools.
Russia lost Crimea when they lost thair whole country to ravaging raping Bolshevik hordes (whom Putin still admires and considers the Founding Fathers of Russia.)