MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin is using his New Year’s speech to hail Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.
He said Crimea’s “return home” will “forever remain a landmark in the national history.”
His comment in his prepared annual address already has been broadcast in Russia’s far eastern regions, where the holiday was celebrated hours ahead of Moscow, given the time difference.
After Ukraine’s former Russia-friendly president was driven from power, Moscow sent troops to overtake Crimea, home to a Russian naval base. Those forces blocked Ukrainian military garrisons and set the stage for a hastily called referendum on Crimea joining Russia, …read more
Source: KXAN
