Crimea, surrounded by the Black Sea, hangs like a diamond from the southern end of Ukraine. It has historic ties to Russia but was an independent republic until annexed in 2014 as part of the Russian Federation after a dubious referendum. Russia’s maritime fleet has been stationed in Crimea for decades. Almost 30 percent of Crimeans receive public pensions and another 10 percent are public employees, so the region will probably be financed by the Russian government, already impoverished with its grandiose military expansion and an escalation of U.S. sanctions. …read more
Source: Canada Free Press
