Two years ago yesterday, on March 21, 2014, only 5 days after the so called “referendum” on the status of Crimea, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued medals “For the Return of Crimea” to the soldiers who had participated in the storming and illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula. Most Russians, thrilling at the lavish media coverage, saw the Crimean operation as an achievement rivaling Yuri Gagarin’s trip into outer space.The West was completely blindsided by the annexation. Military analysts, who were well aware that Russian President Vladimir Putin had for years been setting aside large chunks of his budget …read more
Source: The American Interest
