In a recent interview with German media outlet Bild, Vladimir Putin was asked whether or not Crimea was worth annexing. Putin responded: "What do you mean by Crimea?"
Russia has been enduring severe economic sanctions imposed by the EU and the U.S. for more than a year. The West seeks to punish Russia for its violent annexation of Crimea during the populist Ukrainian coup in early 2014.
Also known as the Euromaidan Revolution, Russia, Ukraine and the West came to an cease-fire agreement last February. The Minsk Protocol stipulated, among 11 mandates, an immediate ceasefire and the gradual demilitarization of both sides. Violence continued erupting into the summer of 2015 and, so far, neither side has backed down.
Despite this conflict, Putin has no regrets. "For me, [Crimea] means human beings ... The nationalists' coup in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in February 2014 has hugely scared 2.5 million Russian people living on Crimea. So what did we do? We have not gone to war, we have not fired, not a single person was killed. Our soldiers have merely prevented the Ukrainian troops on Crimea from impeding the freedom of expression of the people."
A report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in December said 9,098 people, including combatants and civilians, have died since April 2014, according to The Guardian. More than 20,000 have been injured.
"The Russian population is absolutely clear about the situation. Napoleon once said that justice is the incarnation of God on Earth. I'm telling you: the reunification of Crimea and Russia is just," said Putin.
He continued, "In the referendum - which was still decided to take place by the [sic] Crimea's old parliament - the majority of citizens voted for belonging to Russia. This is democracy, the people's will."
While two regions in eastern Ukraine, including Crimea, did vote for independence from Kiev, doubts have been cast on the methods of the referendum. Replete with vague wording, making it difficult for voters to determine what they were voting for, the Ukrainian government called it a "criminal farce" organized by a "gang of Russian terrorists," according to the Washington Post.
