This is an excellent piece of misinformation and trolling, beautifully written and without the usual infelicities of language that too often mar Russian propaganda masquerading as impartial information. It is, however, nothing more than that. I’ve many friends in Ukraine, as a consequence of visiting and working in the country over the course of nearly a decade, including friends in Crimea. Furthermore, I followed the real events (as opposed to the fictional account presented in this article) closely. Putin’s “little green men” who were all supposed to be “patriotic Russians” spontaneously invading Crimea (with Russian military hardware…) were later admitted by Putin himself to have been Russian special forces. And as for the removal of Russian puppet Yanukovich… yes, Russia was very upset indeed. But it’s hardly “undemocratic” for a people to rise up against a corrupt tyrant. In short, although far better composed than most Russian trolling, this piece is entirely inaccurate and designed only to confuse US readers who most likely know nothing whatsoever about the situation in Ukraine, nor about Russia’s increasingly-slick ability to manipulate narratives to its own advantage.