Crimea Officially belongs to Russia.
Russia President Putin: West Crossed Line, Crimea's Move similar to Ukraine's Move from Soviet.

President Vladimir Putin fiercely defended Russia's move to annex Crimea, saying Tuesday that the rights of ethnic Russians have been abused by the new Ukrainian government.
In a televised address to the nation, he said Crimea's vote Sunday to join Russia was in line with international law, reflecting its right for self-determination.
To back the claim, he pointed to Kosovo's independence bid from Serbia — supported by the West and opposed by Russia — and said that Crimea's secession from Ukraine repeats Ukraine's own secession from the Soviet Union in 1991.
He denied Western accusations that Russia invaded Crimea prior to the referendum, saying Russian troops were sent there in line with a treaty with Ukraine that allows Russia to have up to 25,000 troops at its Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea.

'The (Crimean) issue has a vital importance, a historic importance for all of us,' Putin said


Putin also said Russian relations with 'brotherly' Ukrainians will always be important to Russia.

Earlier, Putin approved a draft bill for the annexation of Crimea, a key move in a flurry of steps to formally take over the Black Sea peninsula.


Russia's Constitutional Court and the .