Crimea: Come again?

Crimea: Come again?

As events in the autonomous Ukrainian region of Crimea unfold by the minute, the media are returning to history books on the Crimean War, the subject of this painting. Briefly put, in 1853 Russia, Britain, France, and Turkey’s Ottoman Empire faced off for control of the strategic location; Russia lost and never forgot.

Home to Ukraine’s naval fleet, Crimea is on the Black Sea, an important site for oil transport. As Russian troops recently poured across its border, supporters of the Ukraine and an independent Crimea have cried foul. Much hangs in the balance.        —Diane Richard, writer, March 6

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Image: Alexey Nikolsky/Presidential Press Service, via Reuters

Source: STEVEN LEE MYERS, “Putin, Flashing Disdain, Defends Action in Crimea,” New York Times, March 4, 2014