Crimean history goes back further than that and is more complex. One need not be a fan of Ukraine’s government to have an alternative point of view to the post-Soviet Russian one touted by Putin and ilk.
And for all the physical infrastructure and influx of mainland Russians that have moved in to cement the annexation, the spiritual and moral infrastructure is in tatters. A lot of Christians (Greek Catholics, Catholic nuns, Ukrainian Orthodox) and Crimean Tatars who have deep, ancestral ties have had to flee persecution and the onslaught of corruptions fostered by the Moscow Patriarchate wing of Russian Orthodox Church.
The newly built infrastructure comes with strings attached: namely the Kremlin’s authoritarian dictates and assaults on free speech, business ownership, education, and even freedom of movement. (Ukrainian citizenship and visa status offers more mobility for travel and work in surrounding European countries.)
Crimean Russians were singing Soviet anthems and waving Stalin portraits in the days following the annexation and still do. This was about Soviet nostalgia, not genuine Russian brotherhood. In his justification speech, Putin practically recited parts of Hitler’s Sudetanland anschluss speech verbatim.
The timing, spirit, and way it was done is what has upset peoppe most, including Ukrainians who formerly identified more closely with Russia.
As messy as Kiev’s government is, Crimeans had more freedom under Ukraine than Russia. But for many Russians, the ache for Soviet power outweighs the hunger for freedom.
Thank you all for the background.
I am not a cheerleader for either side, but must note that Ukraine is a very corrupt country.
They’re technically white people, but they tolerate governance on a par with subSaharan Africa.