Do not forget the Crimean crisis: why Russia “Annexed” the Peninsula? A (pro-) Western-European perception
Journal: Global Affairs
Year: 2021

The 2014 Crimean referendum was not free and was orchestrated by Moscow. Whose inclusion of the peninsula was a geopolitical move to gain more power in the region, strengthen the Russian identity and prevent further European enlargement to the East. By invading Crimea, Russia affirmed its nationalistic credo to get influence in Europe. Putin wanted to weaken the EU and while accusing the EU’s expansionism, he never complained when some former Warsaw Pact’s countries entered the EU or NATO in the