Russia is incapable of holding Crimea both in the short term and in the longterm and it will be glorious to see russia insist on being in denial about that until it shatters the country.
Russia is entirely capable of just ignoring everyone in Crimea though. Crimea isn’t Moscow so it doesn’t matter.
Crimea matters. It’s got Sevastopol and other ports and shipyards on the Black Sea, and it controls the Kerch strait.
Also the people trying to live there.
They can tell people living there to suck it up and they will. If there are some protests they will be swiftly and ruthlessly put down. People can live in the dirt for all Putin cares, the only thing that matters is that there is fuel for the military.
I mean, it matters a whole lot to the people there and the Kremlin. The average muscovite doesn’t give a shit
Russia firmly possesed Crimea before the “Three Day Military Operation”, this is a failstate for russia in this war.
Holy crap, that’s huge. That’s 2 million people who are basically back to bikes and donkeys