Russia has rights, too

By international law, Russia is entitled to politically care about its immediate neighbors. Ever since Yalta conference, Russia-Churchill-Roosevelt, the Eastern Europe has been recognized as an obvious safety buffer for Russia, in light of being attacked by Germany twice, including by the major powers of the nowadays EU plus US-Canada landing in Russia's north, and also Far East, at the conclusion of the 1st WW, 1918, while the most of the EU members attacking Russia through the Ukraine corridor, all out of totally illogical fear (no weapons of mass destruction yet) that the hungry bankrupt, devoid of gold and currency Russia that chickened out of the war, and had two revolutions into chaos and hunger in 1917, could somehow attack everyone in the world.

A good use for emoji

Let a Cossack lift his sword, and the Russian will pee
(Maybe in his tank while laughing)

Politically correct union, Timobama

According to the Int'l law, hostile use or blocking of straights constitutes valid casus belli, as was recognized for Israel in the 6 Days War, re. the straights of Tiran. Besides the natural economic (also the pipelines running through Ukraine, that bring hydrocarbons to Europe,) and safety buffer from Europe, Russia wants natural access to its Crimea, which it conquered after being attacked by Turkey, and again reconquered from the UK-led EU forces in the Crimean war of 1850, precipitated by the EU trying to block Russia from accessing the Med, and its real estate in the prime area of Jerusalem.

A rare photo op where two Soviet  era BTRs associated with the Soviets in Afghanistan - under way, and under different flags!

US and Turkey have hinted at blocking Russia exclusively from exiting the Black Sea, going back to the Kennedy's Cuban crisis. US Ambassadors from that era, writing memoirs ascribe the Cuban crisis being precipitated by USSR placing the missiles in Cuba to get leverage over US to guarantee the safe passage out of the Black Sea. Today Turkey still tries to get any leverage on Russia, now the true and tried Moslem card - there is a Moslem minority in Crimea, which must have the same rights as their freedom loving brothers in Chechnia, Lybia, Gaza, Egypt, and Syria. "Maybe these Moslems can be a convenient political pressure group" I saw this months ago in news headlines, before the Ukrainian revolt. I think Putin knew all of these factors, and let US NGOs roil the Ukrainians, waited out the Olympics, and made the move.

meanwhile, there is an item of that northern passage to the White Sea always brewing between US and Russia. It is wider than the double of 6 km of territorial waters which would allow Russia to claim as its home waters, but US has always penetrated into the White Sea, causing submarine collisions. Throughout history, as Putin pointed out reminding the world of the US/EU-like landing, USSR nor Russia never even closed the passage. Russians equated the case with the Great Lakes, "how would US feel if St. Lawrence river was more than 6 km wide and Russian subs showed up in Chicago?"

Russia can conquer a small country just by using a monument.

Good point:
Kiev - free(zing) Europeans
Moscow - slaves of the regime.

Russia also cares about Ukraine as its spiritual cradle. Ukrainian lang. is very close to Russian. Kiev is the cradle of Russian history. Ukrainians grow up speaking both languages, Russian first. It is more like Massachusetts, which speaks funny, but is so organic to US, and is just funny to imagine quitting the US. Ukrainians sound funny trying to speak Ukrainian only. Most Ukrainians think they are entitled to have Russian citizenship, and feel bad because politically the countries want to be separate. The western Ukrainians are more polish, hungarian, etc nationally, and identify with the Ukrainian Nazis who have been documented to massacre Russians, Russian-speaking Ukrainians, and Jews for the past 100 years.