Dave, I fear you may be in significant error here. I've spend a lot of time in both Russia and Ukraine. In the latter country, although Ukrainian is the official language, most people still speak Russian. Only Lvov tries to ensure everyone speaks Ukrainian only; everywhere else is bilingual. By the argument that "people speak Russian therefore Russia can invade" nearly all of Ukraine is "really" Russian territory. Certainly Putin would love that interpretation. With regards to Krim (Crimea) itself, there are well-publicized (by the Russian media) examples of people lauding the occupation. But the Russian media studiously avoids mentioning the Crimean Tartars who've been "disappeared" or pushed out; the Russian media also ignores the majority of Crimeans who were happy being Ukrainian. The Russian media also ignores the fact 80% of those in Crimea depend on ongoing payments from the Ukrainian government and 100% depend on Ukrainian-supplied electricity. I personally know several people who formerly lived in Crimea - none of them want to see Russia continue its occupation.