When Ukrainians earlier this year ousted their corrupt president, Viktor Yanukovych, after he backed out of an association agreement with the EU, Russia set out to destabilize the country. Crimea was annexed on the spurious grounds that it had once been part of Russia – a justification that, if applied elsewhere, could underwrite the violent redrawing of boundaries in much of Europe.
乌克兰腐败总统维克托·亚努科维奇今年初因退出欧盟联合协议而被民众驱逐时，俄罗斯开始对乌克兰稳定起破坏作用。克里米亚曾是俄国一部分的吞并理由根本站不住脚，因为如果同样的理由在其他地方适用，相当于认可欧洲大部分地区可以凭武力重新绘制边境版图。