President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, March 18, pushed every emotional button of the collective Russian psyche as he justified the incorporation of Crimea, citing everything from ancient history to Russia’s demand for respect to Western double standards. The 61-year-old Russian strongman said that justice has finally been served now that the peninsula, which has been historically linked to Moscow, was becoming Russian not only in spirit but also in deed. Reeling off a litany of historic facts, Putin said Crimea was home to a host of places that were “sacred” for Russians. “There are graves of Russian soldiers whose courage saw Crimea join the Russian empire in 1783,” he said. On Tuesday, Putin signed a treaty claiming Crimea as Russian territory. The president, who came back to the Kremlin for a third term in 2012, boasted of the country’s capability to protect its national interests and said Russia would no longer bow before the West.
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