A symbol of Russian identity, Crimea vital for Putin’s legacy
15 March 2014 4:42 AM IST
Clad in a sombre dark suit, he laid a wreath at an imposing Soviet World War Two memorial, visited a cathedral regarded as the cradle of Russian Christianity, and inspected Russia's Black Sea Fleet, recalling its Tsarist and Soviet-era glory.
His itinerary, meticulously choreographed by the Kremlin, goes some way to explaining why Putin, who has styled himself as a father of the nation-like figure overseeing Russia's rebirth as a great power, wants formal or informal control of Crimea.
For Putin, and for many Russians, Crimea has been a small part of Russia, heavy with historic and symbolic importance, trapped in a foreign land since the 1991 collapse of the USSR which saw it become part of an independent Ukraine.
With his third presidential term ending in 2018 and the possibility of a fourth that could see him stay in power until 2024, how Putin handles Crimea will shape his legacy.
The peninsula's importance to Putin and to Russia, from a historical, military and geopolitical point of view - and for how Russians see themselves - is hard to overstate.
As the home to one of Russia's four naval fleets, Crimea, opposite Turkey, is crucial to Putin's plans to project Russian power in the Black Sea and from there into the Mediterranean.
But for the ex-Soviet KGB officer, its importance runs much deeper. If Putin decides to annex Crimea, even some of his political opponents will laud him.
"If Putin gets Crimea back for Russia without bloodshed, he will be a great historical figure and there's nothing anyone can do about that," wrote Ksenia Sobchak, a prominent opposition activist and TV personality.
Ahead of a referendum on Sunday when this Ukrainian region votes to decide whether to come under Moscow's rule, thousands of masked Russian troops have fanned out across the peninsula.
His itinerary, meticulously choreographed by the Kremlin, goes some way to explaining why Putin, who has styled himself as a father of the nation-like figure overseeing Russia's rebirth as a great power, wants formal or informal control of Crimea.
For Putin, and for many Russians, Crimea has been a small part of Russia, heavy with historic and symbolic importance, trapped in a foreign land since the 1991 collapse of the USSR which saw it become part of an independent Ukraine.
With his third presidential term ending in 2018 and the possibility of a fourth that could see him stay in power until 2024, how Putin handles Crimea will shape his legacy.
The peninsula's importance to Putin and to Russia, from a historical, military and geopolitical point of view - and for how Russians see themselves - is hard to overstate.
As the home to one of Russia's four naval fleets, Crimea, opposite Turkey, is crucial to Putin's plans to project Russian power in the Black Sea and from there into the Mediterranean.
But for the ex-Soviet KGB officer, its importance runs much deeper. If Putin decides to annex Crimea, even some of his political opponents will laud him.
"If Putin gets Crimea back for Russia without bloodshed, he will be a great historical figure and there's nothing anyone can do about that," wrote Ksenia Sobchak, a prominent opposition activist and TV personality.
Ahead of a referendum on Sunday when this Ukrainian region votes to decide whether to come under Moscow's rule, thousands of masked Russian troops have fanned out across the peninsula.
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